COL.  GEORGE  WASHINGTON  FLOWERS 
MEMORIAL  COLLECTION 


\ 


ELN  ATHAN, 


ILLUSTiiATl¥K,OF  THE,  MANi^EU>;  mi. 


"  Thee,  Sion,  and  the  flow'ry  brooks  bencalii. 
That  wash  thy  halknv'd  feet--'* 


VM.I^IUCA>^  oUiNDAY  SCHOOL  UNION, 

r}fi.LADELrH!'2 
148  Che^. 


Univercity  Ijbraiy 

PREFACE 


In  tlie  following  pages,  an  aiienipt  is  made 
to  present  to  the  reader,  in  the  form  of  a  nar 
lative,  a  few  of  the  more  interesting  notices 
which  remain  to  us  of  the  manners  of  the  cii* 
cient  Israelites. 

The  liabils  and  customs  of  that  wondciiLii 
ptoplc  are  highly  worthy  of  oi; 
uoi  mci  cly  as  yielding  a  pleasing 
to  our  curiosity,  but  as  often  lielping  to  il 
''istrate  the  Scripuires  themselves,  by  show 
iu^.  us  the  incomparable  aptness  and  beautv 
jf  (lie  similitudes  there  used. 
While,  among  us,  manners  chan 

dcu  passing  generation,  the  manner; 
eastern  nations  remain  abnost  always  l 
:  ame.    Like  the  birds  of  the  air,  tliey  buil! 
1-  .     houses,  and  cat  their  food,  and  hold  iu 
'  f  LOurse  with  each  other,  after  I; 

in=j;i  thai  thfMr  ancc^^t*'  :  'lid  3! 
vra!       .  •  ;ven  of 

'    '  1  iU':  I'Cf'ple  of 


vi 


PREFACE. 


these  countries  by  intelligent  men  who  have 
sojourned  among  them,  correspond,  in  a  re- 
markable degree,  with  the  allusions  made  to 
the  same  things  in  the  sacred  volume.  It  is 
from  comparing  these  accounts  of  things,  as 
they  exist  in  modem  times,  with  the  Scrip- 
tui'es,  and  from  the  works  of  old  Jewish  wri- 
ters, that  whatever  is  known  respecting  the 
manners  of  the  ancient  Israelites,  is  derived. 
And,  though  we  cannot  be  confident  that  all 
the  knowledge  of  the  subject  thus  attained, 
is  corri^et,  yet  we  may  be  satisfied  that,  m 
many  instances,  it  comes  very  near  the  truth. 


ELNATHAN. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Servant  of  God,  well  done;  well  hast  thou  fought 

The  better  fisht;  who,  single,  hast  maintained, 

Against  revolted  multitudes,  the  cause 

Of  truth; — for  this  ivas  aUtW  care, 

To  stand  approved  in  sight  of  God,  though  worlds 

Judg'd  thee  perverse.  Miltov. 


Samaria,  the  ancient  capital  of  tlie  king- 
dom of  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel,  who,  under 
Jeroboam,  revolted  from  the  house  of  David, 
v^as  a  large  city,  and  fortified  with  walls  and 
towers.  It  stood  upon  a  mount,  of  a  ^ong 
oval  form,  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  valley,  cloth- 
ed with  corn  fields  and  vineyards  '  )-  d 
this  valley^  on  every  side,  rose  o  i)f 

agh  hills,  whose  green  tops  "^vere  covered 
itFi  herds  aiid  numerous  tlocks;  and,  mi 

lieir  wooded  sides,  where  the  olive,  autl  liie 
pomegranate,  ami  i\vi  citron  waved  their 


8 


ELNATHAN 


[niitful  bougbs,  stood  numerous  itltle  vilia 
ges,  of  small  white  flat-roofed  houses,  the 
habitations  of  the  owners  of  different  little 
inheritances  into  which  the  land  was  divided. 
Among  these  hills  rose  many  streams,  which 
were  sometimes  hid  in  their  course  amid  the 
spreading  trees,  and  again  seen  bursting  in 
cascades  over  the  white  rocks,  while  the  re- 
freshing waters,  which  they  poured  into  |he 
valley,  wwe  conducted,  by  a  thousand  shiii 
ing  streamlets,  through  the  fields^  spreadiiig 
every  where  fertility  and  beauty.  But  the 
iiihabitanls  of  this  fair  land,  dwelling  amid 
ail  that  could  charm  the  sight,  or  gladden  the 
heart,  had  forsaken  the  God  ot  their  life  for 
li]  i  ,  of  wood  and  stone,  the  abominable  work 
:i  hands, 

i.,    riH,        vvliirh  priF  lUtfr  tale  giveb 
,        i    .  :  :         US  intorm 

bOii  of  Oiiiii-,  vvho  then 
vjusoc  situaiioii  !>:i^^: 

Uf[)rH.i:n, 


\ 


ELNATHAN. 


9 


that  were  before  him.  And  so  baleful  had  his 
example  been,  and  so  universally  had  the  peo- 
ple of  Israel  corrupted  themselves,  ttiat,  ^^vlien 
Jezebel  sware  by  her  idols  that  she  would 
destroy  Elijah  the  prophet,  he  fled  into  the: 
wilderness;  and,  sitting  down  under  a  juni- 
per tree,  he  desired  that  he  might  die,  for  he 
thought  that  he  only  was  left  alone  of  all  the 
servahi;s  of  the  true  Godi 

During  the  reign  of  this  wicked  king,  on 
a  serene  and  lovely  evening  in  the  month  Ijar, 
after  the  sun  had  just  set,  an  old  man,  an 
Ephraimite,  whose  name  was  Elnathan,  hav- 
ing returned  from  his  labour  in  the  fields, 
came  out  to  the  door  of  a  house  which  stood 
on  the  west  side  of  the  hill  of  Sariiaria,  and 
began  to  employ  himself  in  plaiting  a  basket 
with  the  leaves  of  the  palm-tree. 

The  dress  and  appearance  of  ti 
were  peculiarly  simple  and  interestm^.  l  >  c 
a  shirt  of  wool  he  wore  a  close-b^d'ied  frMcl  ^ 
tunic,  or    ccat,"  as  it  is  named 
Testament,  having  sleeves,  and  rea clnus 
0  hil  f<eet.    It  was  made  of  coloured  ' 
i»id  round  the  border  of  it  was  the  woollen 
ff%^e       r'bbon  of  blue  enjr^^'w  1      fUe  law, 


10 


ELNATHAN, 


that  he  might  look  upon  them,  and  remembci 
all  the  commandments  of  Jehovah,  to  do  them 
On  his  feet  he  had  sandals,  or  soles  of  strong 
leather,  which  were  bound  on  with  latchets; 
but  his  legs  were  bare,  their  only  defence 
from  the  weather  being  the  long  loose  gar- 
ments which  he  wore.  On  his  head,  which 
was  now  bald  with  age,  he  wore  no  covering, 
but  only  a  narrow  fillet  bound  round  his  tern 
pies,  to  keep  his  hair  from  being  troublesome^ 
and  his  few  remaining  locks,  and  his  long 
beard,  were  white  as  the  blossom  of  tlie  al- 
mond tree. 

While  this  old  man  sat  employed  as  wc 
liave  said,  the  last  rays  of  the  closing  day, 
which  fell  upon  his  venerable  head,  served  to 
[how  a  countenance  wHch  had  once  been 
manly  and  handsome,  but  which  was  now 
pale  and  wrinkled,  yet  full  of  sweetness  and 
intelligence.  Though  Ms'hands  were  busily 
employed,  it  s»:emcd  as  ifiihis  mind  was  otlier- 
wise  engaged;  for,  from  time  to  time,  a  tear 
stole  over  his  white  beard,  and  once  or  t^^vir  c 
he  appeared  to  smile :  but  there  was  some 
thing  about  that  smile  so  resi^iiied  and  so  sub 
t]>aod— it  fold  sa«:h  a  tale  o[  i  iiincd  hope;?,  aiid 


ELNATHAN. 


II 


of  abidiiig  sorrowsj  tliat  aii  observci'  oiiglit 
have  wished  rather  to  see  an  ordinary  man 
weep,  than  this  old  man  smile.  It  appeared 
that  there  was  no  person  in  the  house  before 
which  he  sat,  and  he  frequently  looked  south- 
ward, as  if  he  expected  the  approach  of  some 
one. 

At  length  he  saw  his  grand -daughter,  a 
young  maiden,  coming  by  a  path  which  wind- 
ed up  the  side  of  the  hill,  be^iring  an  earthen 
pitcher  of  water  upon  her  shoulder.  •  Her  face 
and  arms  were  embrowned  by  expos'",  re  ^:  > 
the  sunj  but  her  eyes  were  as  soft  ar^: 
liant  as  those  of  the  antelope,  and  her  ^Acp 
as  light  and  free  as  the  foot  of  the  same  crea- 
ture npon  the  mountains,  so  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  look  upon  her,  as  1(C  cai'ic  alorig, 
singing  in  the  gayety  of  her  hear  t,  witliou  t 
feeling  interested  and  delighted  w'p.li  he*  pi  e 
sence.    She  seemed  to  be  l^ie  \  ' 
the  old  man's  eyes?  for,  no  s(;0-.. 
her  coming,  than  he  brusiieil  awsi  / 
fhat  were  ready  to  iall,  and  trie.: 
■ler  with  a  cheerful  and  pleasant  smile.  Iluz 
she  saw  that  he  had  h-''''a  '?)!Towfui|  and; 
putting  her  pitcher  on  ih.    \  ^m'l,  phe  f  .ime 


RLNATHAK 


and  Mi 
him 


had  hea^rid  the 


)i}\^t  jnaulfens  gayaag.  id  tlu;  fountain.  ,Yet., 
m  spite  of  hersself,  lier  lieart  became  heavy 
oppressed;,  and  she  s&id,  with  a  tremu- 
lous and  anxious  voice— '^^^iSiir el father,  (?ur 

r^eriV-'  'ire.  nil  T-j^st  now,,  and  our  enemies  will 


OKI  US  all  that  we.  had. 
?nir  ns  to  live  as  servant? 
UF' kinsman,  without  casting  us  into 


A-iaF,  Fif'ial)  i"'  said  the  old  man,  tron- 
blesal'^  oUt?  ^  -        us  at  the  time,  when  v  ^' 


rj'ore..    Since  they 


friend 


-^v,  they  knoM^  tb.at  he  is  th«^  only 
^^w  left  to  us."" 


liG'pe  theiii  ; 


I  fear  ovtr  k'rasmar-i 


gone  ■■•^ 


nryio-'.   Hast  thou 


iviv  u.)  the  fouHii^is 


'mV^   ''ime.  the  youn^?- 


iiling,  ao'd 
lather 


yiu  Ik  ■ 
do;  br, 


from  tit 


KLNATHAiV-  IS 

! 

[ 

coming  towards  theui  their  kinsman,  ikrao, 
who  was  th^  owner  of  the  him^e  before  which 
they  sat;  a|i(i  he  was  accompanied  by  three 
young  nien^  who  were  his  sons.  Azriei«  tht 
;'oungest,  seemed  pale  and  downcast.  But 
it  was  not  so  with  the  others:  Their  dress 
was  soiled  and  in  disorder,  and  their  face> 
had  the  fierce  look  of  men  who,  having  com  - 
mitted some  great  crime,  afterwards  indulge 
in  intemperance  to  drown,  for  a  moment,  the 
thoughts  of  their  guilt.  When  the  old  man 
rose  up  and  saluted  them,  saying,  Peace  be 
unto  you,"  they  answered  not  his  salu%ti<>n, 
but  Ocran,  with  a  rough  and  scornful,  vf)i;;f ; 
told  him  that  he  and  his  sons  had  that  day 
oflfered  sacrifices  upon  the  altar  of  Baal,  and 
had  chosen  him  for  their  god,  and  received 
his  name  and  image  on  their  right  hand;. 
Then  raising  his  voice  still  louder,  he  added 
— "  I  tell  thee,  Elnathan,  thou  shalt  no  moj  e 
go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship,  nOr  mak  ar 
offering  there;;  and  if  thou  art  not  content, 
depart  from  my  house,  and  see  who.  i 
niaria,  dare  receive  thee,-' 

And  one  i»r  tne  young  men,  his  so; 
'/IV-'  i^i  thai  has*'         of  spin f'^-  ^^•ht»  a; 
I'. 


14 


ELNATHAN. 


only  in  evil,  but,  to  do  good,  are  the  greatest 
cowards  in  the  creation;  he,  being  elated  be- 
cause he  l.ad  been  able  to  quiet,  for  a  time^ 
all  feai  of  the  sublime  authority  of  that  law 
which  so  often  made  him  tremble  in  the  midst 
of  his  wickedness,  forgot  the  reverence  due 
to  the  hoary  hairs  of  his  aged  kinsman,  and 
ventured  to  reproach  him,  saying — "  Have 
not  all  thy  family,  save  that  poor  trembling 
maid,  beeii  carried  to  untimely  graves?  Is 
not  thine  inheritance  taken  from  thee  and 
given  to  a  worshipper  of  Baal?  Are  not  thy 
days  spent  in  toil,  and  thy  slumbers  broken 
with  grief,  and  even  thy  miserable  life  itself 
threatened?  Thou  fool——"  But  here  the 
father  of  this  man  of  Belial  interrupted  him, 
for  his  heart  was  touched  for  a  moment  by 
the  desolate  sorrows  of  his  aged  friend;  and 
he  said  to  Elnathan — "  Thou  hast  heard  my 
purpose.  If  thou  choosest  to  cease  from  go- 
ing up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship,  and  to  make 
mention  of  the  name  of  thy  God,  thou  and 
thy  daughter  may  dwell  with  us,  for  thou  ft>  t 
our  kinsman;  but  not  otherwise. 

When  Elnathan  heard  these  impious  aiuj 
ii'uel  wordsj  he  was  filled  with  a^" ton ish merit 


ELNATHAN, 


15 


and  grief.  For  though  he  had  long  seen  that 
the  hearts  of  his  kinsmen  were  estranged 
from  the  true  God,  and  that,  moved  by  fear 
of  the  anger  of  Ahab  and  his  wicked  queen, 
and  a  desire  to  be  freed  from  the  restraints 
of  conscience  and  the  holy  law  of  the  God  of 
Israel,  they  longed  for  nothing  so  much  as  an 
opportunity  to  throw  otF  all  acknowledgment 
of  God,  and  to  join  with  the  king  and  people 
of  Samaria  in  the  service  of  Baal,  and  in  all 
the  impure  ntes  of  that  unhallowed  worship, 
yet  he  did  not  think  that  their  apostasy  would 
have  been  so  sudden,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  he  coiild  reply  to  the  grievous  tidings^ 
At  length  he  said,  in  a  voice  faltering  witli 
emotion— Since  it  is  so  that  ye  will  not 
permit  me  to  obey  the  commandment  of  my 
God,  in  going  up  to  his  temple  to  worship.  I 
may  no  loiiger  remain  with  you.  My  heart 
hath  regarded,  with  too  fond  an  ciJlbctioii,  the 
dwellings  c»f  my  fathers^  for  I  sliil  ho|  cd  that 
there  would  arise  in  Israel  a  king  wlio  should 
bring  bacl<.  this  people  from  their  miserable 
idolatries  to  the  holy  worship  of  the  only  God, 
and  so  unite  the  tribes  of  Jacob  into  one 
:  ^>  i,  .igain:— Bui  it  hath  not  been  so. 


16 


sLNATIIAN 


Tlxough  I  leave  behind  me  the  remains  of  ab 
that  I  have  ioved,  yet  will  I  go  forth  from 
mine  own  people  j  for  the  swjeetest  charm 
which  united  me  to  them  is  broken,  seeing 
thej  have  forsaken  the  Lord  thiiir  God.'^ 

Helah  all  this  while  stood  hqllding  her  fa- 
ther )>j  the  arm,  as  if  she  weite  afraid  that 
any  one  should  separate  him  it-om  her,  and 
weeping  with  grief  and  perplexity;  for  her 
gentle  heart  was  wrung  by  the  <|;ruel ty  of  her 
kinsmen,  and  because  Azricl  dl&o  had  gone 
with  them  in  their  wickedness*  That  night 
when  she  lay  down,  as  she  was  w^ont,  at  thfe 
feet  of  her  (ather,  she  could  not  sleep,  but 
spent  the  night  in  tears  for  the  mew  load  of 
ailii*  tion  tliat  had  fallen  upon  mmj  and  her 
a\vit  feebleness  to  help  him,  and  pecause  Az- 
riel,  w^ho  had  done  them  so  many!  kindnesses, 
and  whom  she  ever  esteemed  so  fap  and  good, 
had  despised  them,  and  befcome  an  idolater; 
for  she  knew  not  that  his  fatte  hiid  compel-1- 
to  appear  mn  associate 


ed  •  hirt: , 
in  the., 
.  Ne!i> 
lore  the  ii 
her  hearts 


3, than,  arose  be^ 
ttwii,  aiiU;:  shiuuii^ii^  lip  Y 
^lie  wipe;;!  away  her  tes'rs,  ami  es- 


ELNATIIAN, 


IT 


sayed  to  comfort  him  with  the  thought  that, 
wherever  they  were  driven,  in  all  their  jour= 
neyings  they  should  still  have  the  God  of  l'^ 
rael  for  their  friend.    So  they  resolved  to  go 
up  together  to  Jerusalem,  and  wait  there  till 
some  good  Israelite,  who  feared  the  Lord, 
should  take  them  for  hired  servants,  and  per 
mit  them  to  wait  upon  their  God  in  the  as 
semblies  of  his  people, in  that  sanctuary  which 
he  had  chosen  to  put  his  name  in.    So  after 
they  had,  in  a  simple  yet  fervent  prayer^ 
committed  themselves  to  the  care  of  their 
lieavenly  Father,  they  needed  little  other 
preparation  for  their  journey.  Over  the  dress 
which  he  wore  the  evening  before,  Elnathan 
put  on  a    hyke,"*  as  it  is  now  called  in  that 
country,  or     upper  garment,"  as  it  is  named 
in  the  Scriptures.    It  was  of  brown  woollen 
cloth,  several  yards  long,  and  five  or  six  feet 
wide,  so  that  it  might  serve  him  either  for  a 
garment  by  day,  or  for  a  bed  and  covering  ai 
aight— like  the  plaids  of  the  Highland  shep 
herds,  to  which  it  had  a  close  rescnibiaoie 
'ic  pu4  it  about,  twice  across  his  left  shouldei, 
and  brought  i'         '      ■    '        ■  ■  '  ^    ■  -  '•■ 


IB  ELNATHAX. 

! 

body,  joiniiig  the  two  upper  ends  tol^ether  hy^ 
:)  wooden  bodkin.  The  outer  fold  hiJiRgdovviJ 
and  served  him  instead  of  an  apron  g^y  lap,  in 
which  he  liiight  gather  iierbs,  or,  if  n^ed  were, 
carry  a  measure  of  corn.  It  was  a  very  trou- 
blesome piece  of  raiment,  easily  disai^'rangedj 
and  falling  to  the  ground,  so  that  ait  every 
step  he  would  have  needed  to  tuck  itltij)  and 
fold  it  round  him  anew,  had  he  not  kept  it 
close,  and  prevented  it  from  encumbering  him, 
by  means  of  his  girdle,  which  he  put  Several 
times  round  his  loins,  and  which  wa^  made 
of  worsted,  artfully  woven  into  a  variety  of 
figures,  having  an  opening  at  one  of  .the  ends 
to  serve  for  a  purse.  After  girding  himself, 
he  put  some  dried  figs,  a  little  meal,  and  a 
small  leathern  bottle  of  water  into  his  scrip, 
or  bag,  which  was  made  of  goat  skin,  and 
hung  by  a  belt  across  his  shoulder.  Then 
taking  Heiah  by  the  hand,  who  had  put  on  an 
upper  garment  similar  to  his,  but  finer  arui 
more  tastefully  arranged,  he  went  forth  froii? 
the  house  of  his  kinsmens  and  they,  ijecausc 
they  fell  his  righte.ius  and  upright  xjonduc; 
iis  a  rcproacli  cast  upon  thcmsclvcH,  hai'deuctt 


ELNATHAXr 


19 


depart  with  his  daughter,  destitute  and  uu- 
ii'iended,  to  the  inheritance  of  anotlier  tribe. 

As  they  descended  the  hill  of  Samariay 
with  slow  steps  and  in  silence,  to  begin  their 
journey,  the  light  fleecy  clouds,  spread  along 
the  morning  sky,  were  fast  disappearing  be- 
fore the  rising  sun;  and  the  plentiful  dew  that 
had  fallen  during  the  night,  and  hung,  in  large 
drops,  from  every  bough,  was  quickly  passing 
away.  It  being,  as  we  have  said,  the  montli 
Ijar,  the  heat  of  the  advancing  season  had 
oot  yet  wholly  dried  up  the  verdure;  and  the 
fresh  morning  breeze  was  tilled  with  the 
odorous  smell  of  the  citron,  and  the  myrtle, 
and  the  palm-tree,  and  the  olive,  and  innu- 
merable flowers.  The  fig-tree  put  forth  his 
green  figs,  and  the  vines,  with  the  tender 
grape,  gave  a  good  snielL  Barley-harvest, 
too,  having  already  begun,  it  was  a  time  of 
gladness  over  all  the  land.  They  met  various 
little  bands  of  reapers  going  to  tiicir  labour, 
followed  by  young  maidens  and  children  t«j 
^lean  after  thetn.  The  men  had  put  oft"thc»' 
ipper  garments,  and  left  thcni  brhind  in  tlicii 
■uniscsji  ■'.!<■'!   r^in'Ml   --^nit-  [>rf)Vi--ion~ 


20 


l^LNATHAN. 


gourd  tilled  with  water.  Some  of  these  iiien, 
as  was  once  usual  with  them  in  their  purer 
days,  expressed  the  joj  of  the  time,  not  un- 
mixed with  piety,  as  they  made  to  the  old 
man  and  his  daughter  this  salutation:  "  We 
bless  you  in  the  name  of  the  Lordj" — to 
which  he  replied,  as  was  the  custom — The 
blessing  of  the  Lord  be  upon  you." 

When  they  had  passed  by  the  suburbs  of 
Samaria,  they  came  to  a  cottage  embosomed 
amid  some  aged  fig-trees,  and  surrounded  by 
several  little  fields j  this  was  the  inheritance 
which  had  been  wrested  from  Elnathan  by 
the  unjust  judgment  of  Ahab,  because  he  had 
been  known  to.  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship, 
and  it  was  now  possessed  by  an  idolater  who 
was  his  enemy.  As  the  faithful  old  man  stood 
by  it,  he  v/as  deeply  moved;  not  because  of 
the  wealth  of  which  he  had  been  so  cruelly 
deprived,  but  because  he  was  now  forced  to 
leave,  periiaps  for  ever,  that  place,  the  mc 
mory  of  which  was  so  dear  to  him.  While 
he  remained  lingering  '^i^|||||Mnarking  the 
various  objects,  whichlipipe  to  him  monument^- 
of  enjoyments  he  couTd  never  ta^:|e  agaiii; 
he  $aid,  mournriill  V,  <o  lus  ;:j_rand  ffau^;'''^' '  ^ 


ELNATHAJi. 


^;How  often  have  I  heardj  from  the  door  of 
/that  house,  and  from  these  fields,  the  glad 
voices  of  my  children  welcoming  my  ap- 
proach! In  that  green  bower  we  oftered  wp 
our  evening  prayers — undet  these  fig-trees 
we  assembled  on  the  Sabbath,  while  I  related 
to  my  son's  the  gracious  things  which  God  had 
done  for  our  fathers  in  the  time  of  old,  and 
the  holy  laws  which  he  had  ordained  us 5  with 
them,  by  this  clear-running  spring,  how  often 
with  joyfol  hearts  hav<a,we  spread  our  repast 
In  the  days  of  harvest  t''  And,  as  these  sad 
remembrances  passed  through  his  mind*  he 
could  not  refrain  from  weeping;  and  Helah, 
though  slie  had  no  remembrance  of  the  place, 
having  left  it  with  her  own  father  when  an 
infant,  and  though  she  had  in  herself  a  hidden 
cause  of  grief,  which  absorbed  almost  every 
other,  yet  she  could  not  keep  from  shedding; 
tears  of  sympathy  with  him.  And,  as  they 
wept,  Elnathan  lifted  up  his  hands  towards 
Jerusalem  and  prayed;  saying,  ''Let  our 
hearts  be  strong  in  the  unchanging  love  of 
the  God  of  .Israel!  He  will  be  more  to  us 
^han  Itomc  >0|r  kindred,  for  true  and  good  is 
his  wotd  for  ever.  Th.c  everlasting  God,  the 


ELNATHAN. 


rock  of  Jacob,  is  our  shield  and  our  salvation 
for  evermore."  And  when  he  had  breathed 
Corth  this  short  and  fervent  prayer,  in  which 
Helah  joined  with  her  whole  heart,  they  found 
that  blessed  relief  from  sorrow,  which  faith 
in  our  redeeming  God  alone  can  bring;  and 
a  tide  of  happy  feelings,  and  bright  prospects 
pointing  heavenwards,  flowed  upon  their 
minds,  so  that  they  went  on  their  way  with 
serener  countenances  and  a  lighter  step  than 
they  had  done  before. 

Having  journeyed  southward  for  some  time, 
their  road  turned  eastward,  and  entered  a 
narrow  valley  having  Mount  Gerizim  on  the 
right  hand,  and  Mount  Ebal  on  the  left,  witli 
a  fine  rivulet  running  through  it.  When  they 
had  gone  on  in  that  valley  for  about  an  hour 
and  a  half,  sometimes  under  the  cool  slutde 
of  spreading  trees,  sometimes  on  the  brink  of 
precipices^  which  the  rivulet  in  its  perpetual 
course  had  cut  in  the  rocks,  and  at  other 
liitics  through  richly  cultivated  fields,  con- 
tiiuially  regaled  as  they  went  by  the  gratel'ul 
fragrance  of  ten  thousand  aromatic  hcrb^<. 
thev  came  to  Sychem>  or  Sychar^  which  wa- 
built  alont      '        '  Gerizim,  Uci 


KLNATHAN. 


23 


,  it.was  where  Jacob  pitciied  his  lent,  and  rear- 
ed  an  altar  when  he  came  from  Padan-aram; 
and  here  the  children  of  Israel  buried  the 
bones  of  Joseph.  After  passing  through  Sy- 
chem,  and  journeying  for  some  time  longer 
through  that  narrow  valley,  which  was  scarce  - 
ly  above  a  furlong  broad,  they  came  to  Ja- 
cob's well,  which  was  dug  deep  in  the  firm 
-  rock,  and  about  four  cubits  wide  at  the  mouth; 
here  tlie?valley  opened  into  a  wide  field,  ex 
ceeding  green  and  fruitful.  And  passing  a 
little  onward,  about  the  sixth  hour  of  the  day, 
they  came  to  a  wood  upon  the  skirts  of  a  very 
extensive  and  fertile  plain,  and,  being  wearied 
with  walking  and  the  increasing  heat  of  tlie 
:un,  they  turned  aside  and  entered  within 
the  covert  of  that  wood,  intending  to  rest 
tli€re  till  the  noon-day  heat  was  past. 

When  they  had  gone  a  little  way  among 
the  trees,  they  saw  two  beautiful  dark  brown 
antelopes,  or  "  roes,"  lying  sleeping  among 
(he  wild  flowers.  Hearing  the  sound  of  their 
footsteps,  these  timid  and  watchful  creatures 
took  alarm,  and,  starting  up,  they  glanced  at 
them  with  their  soft  eyes^  and  instantly 
bounded  away,  casting  from  time  to  time  a 


•t.sATKAX. 


look  behind;  and,  thinking  iheniseives  pur- 
sued, thej  laid  their  horns  backward,  almost 
upon  their  shoulders,  and  fiew  along  the 
neighbouring  hills  with  incredible  swiftness, 
their  delicate  limbs  scarcely  seeming  to  touch 
the  ground. 

Advancing  adittle  further  into  the  wood, 
thej  saw  a  young  herdsman  reclining  by  the 
side  of  a  fountain,  and  a  flock  of  goats  lying 
scattered  around  him,  ruminating  in  that 
shady  place.  When  the  herdsman  saw  El~ 
nathan  and  his  daughter,  he  rose  up,  in  ve- 
neration and  honour  of  the  aged  man,  and 
bowed  his  head  to  them  with  his  hand  upon 
his  breast,  and  saluted  them,  saying,  "  Peace 
be  unto  you."  And  Elnathan  answered  him, 
"  With  thee,  my  son,  be  peace,  and  the  mer- 
cy and  blessing  of  God."  And  the  herdsman, 
seeing  that  they  were  wayfarers,  said  to  them^ 
"  Sit  down  by  this  fountain,  I  pray  you,  and 
eat  of  this  parched  corn;  for  the  place  is  cooL 
and  ye  are  overwearied  with  your  journey. 
So  Elnathan  and  Helah  sat  down  upon  tlie 
grass,  and  the  herdsman  gave  them  half  r- 
ears  of  wheat,  roasted,  to  eat;  and  h^- 
and  milked  one  of  the  shd-goats,  and  huv, 


ELNATHA!^. 


9.5 


them  the  milk  to  drink,  which  was  sweet  and 
well -tasted. 

As  thej  sat  together  upon  the  green  grass, 
EInathan  said  to  the  herdsman:  "  While  rest- 
ing with  thy  flock  bj^the  side  of  this  still 
fountain,  surely  thy  meditations  are  often 
upon  the  God  of  Israel,  and  thine  heart  im- 
pressed  with  the  thoughts  of  his  holiness  and 
love-    Thou  dwellest  much  in  private,  and 
seekest  for  thyself  sweet  places  of  solitude; 
but  spend  not  thy  time  as  the  sluggard,  m>\: 
thy  days  in  trifling  and  inactivity.  St^*  '  v  t] 
holy  law  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  v.. 
its  purity  and  extent.  -  Let  the  awe  oi  iiih 
presence  affect  thine  heart,  and  the  know- 
ledge  that  his  eye  sees  thee,  repress  the  very 
thought  of  sin.  Thy  days  are  passed  far  frotrj 
the  rage  and  vanity  of  the  wicked,  and  th* 
^•iT.ploi  ment  is  retired  and  lonely?  ' 
thy  communion  be  w  ith  God,  and  cojIVcis* 
with  thine  own  souL    If  thou  make  the  love 
of  God  the  supreme  motive  of  thine  actions-, 
and  his  will  the  rule  and  the  guide  of  thy 
life,  then  shalt  thou  experience  in  him,  even 
amid  thy  solitude,  a  joy  above  all  othi 
aud,  because  thy  t»'ust  in  him  shall 
c 


26 


ELNATHAN. 


bounded,  holy  contentment  ana  repose  shall 
delight  t^i    soul. " 

Thu.  xi  addressed  himself  to  the 

herdsm:.  ,  ,  .j  listened  with  attention  and 
rev^^^J|^|"i>r  he  also  feared  the  Lord.  When 
t>.ev  ..ad  spent  some  time  in  this  manner,  the 
good  Old  man  and  his  daughter,  being  greatly 
fatigued  \vlth  their  journey,  yielded  to  the 
hei?  "le  silence  ^f  the  place, 

I?!  --  _    imrmeiits  about  them, 

they  iuiu  themselves  down  under  the  shade 
of  a  gourd,  and  fell  asleep.  The  young  herds- 
man continued  to  sit  beside  them,  for  he  was 
much  struck  with  ElBatlian's  discoisrse,  and 
h-s  holy  and  venerable  appi  •;  ^r 

The  fast-growing  gourd.,  ■  'xiesQ 

;   '     'ills  lay  asletp,  had  v/ithi?i.a 
-       ■ ''['^  and  was  already  come 
to  maturity.    I.         about  six  cubits  high, 
having  a  kiiO tty  and  hollo¥/  stem,,  bearing  at 
^I'-e  t-^rj  £  r:co-"mon  of  thich-s^ir^ad'ng  branch - 

:           :    ;  L:g  green, 

:   til  coii)i»r. 

the  rine  tree  and  the 
're  stately  oak 


ELNATHAN. 


liage.  Among  tliem  grew  the  almond  h-co, 
whicli  flourishes  almost  before  the  winter  is 
gone,  and  had  already  brought  its  fruit  to 
perfection.  From  the  midst  of  a  heap  ot 
barren  stones  grew  some  fig-trees,  laden 
with  little  stalks  of  green  figs,  which  they 
seemed  to  shoot  forth  almost  along  wiili  their 
blossoms,  and  before  their  rough  and  prickly 
leaves.  Not  far  from  where  Elnathan  and 
Helah  lay  asleep,  grew  an  evergreen  citron 
or  "  iipple  tree,"  the  fairest  of  the  trees  of 
the  wood,  perfuming  thie  air  with  its  odour , 
stretching  forth  a  deep  and  refreshing  shade, 
and  in  its  season  laden  with  "  :  a 
golden  colour.  Round  the  trTriJ'L  ) " 

the  trees,  the  wild  vine.        ';;:,'^r  ' 
plants  had  da.s|)ed  tlieir  pliar.t  hands.  Anci, 
amouc:  the  wild  flowers  which  «;rew  at  their 
roots,  the  sweet-smelling  lily  of  th 
raised  its  elegant  form,  beari-  '^^  ■  '  ■  ^  ;u.k 
ten  or  twelve  spikes  of  bloor  Ste 
petal s-^- of  which  were  markt 
streak  of  bright  purple.down 
mandrake,  too,  sprea'i  thei;  ■ 
and  smooth  leaven  upon  tl^ 
berries  of  a  saffron  ro!o!!  ';  rr  . 


.^8 


F.LNATHAN, 


On  the  border  of  the  fountain  grew  some 
mjrtle  trees  intermixed  with  roses:  their 
green  branches,  that  spread  upward  to  the 
height  of  six  or  seven  cubits,  were  covered 
with  white  Howers,  which  were  bordered  with- 
in v/ith  a  purple  edging,  and  emitted  a  p,er- 
fume  more  sweet  than  the  rose  itself. 

When  Elnathan  awaked  he  was  grea?tly  re- 
freshed! ^ut  Helahy  having  spent  the  former 
niglit  in  tears,  and  being  w^eaker  and  mor<e 
fatigued,  continued  asleep,  lulled  in  her  soft 
slumber  by  the  sound  of  the  rill  that  issited 
from  the  fountaiii.  At  last  she  awse  from 
her  grassy  pillow,  and,  it  being  about  the 
ninth  hour  of  the  day,  the  time  of  the  even-  * 
ing  sacrifice,  they  kneeled  down  together, 
with  their  faces  to  Jerusalem,  and  prayed: 
For  the  ancient  Israelites  believed,  that  the 
sa,crifice  and  incense,  offered  mqrning  and 
evening  in  the  Temple,  were  designed,  in  a 
special  manner,  to  render  God  propitious  to 
their  praj^ers;  they  therefore  chose  those  times 
for  their  devotions,  well  knowing  that  there 
could  be  no  acceptance  for  the  prayers  of 
sinners,  bu  t  through  an  atonement.  After - 
w  11(1.  Elnathan  and  Helah  went  on  their  wn  y  , 


ELNATHAN. 


29 


and  the  herdsman  gathered  together  his  goats, 
and  led  them  along  toward  the  side  of  Mount 
Ebal,  to  pastures  fragrant  with  sage,  ros-- 
mary,  and  thyme. 


CHAPTER  IT. 


"  By  God  the  strang-er  and  the  poor  are  seut^. 
And  what  to  thosfe  we  give  to  God  is  lent, ' 
Then  food  supply,  and  i^  ithe  his  fainting-  limks,  , 
Where  waving  shades  obscure  the  mazy  streams." 

0%i'i-.  Pope.. 


■Aftkr  Elnathan  and  his  daugiiter  came 
out  of  the  wood,  they  entered  upon  an  exten- 
sive and  beautiful  plain,  stretching  away 
southward  to  a  great  distance  '  -■^re  them. 
When  they  had  gone  abou  .  :  across 

it,  they  came  to  a  low  mount  covered  wiih  i 
dark  grove  of  thick-spreading  oak  trees,  from 
wbeilce  they  heard  a  confused  t  oise  of  sing- 
ing, and  wild  cries  and  lam  t 
drew  nearer  to  it,  they  p-^/ 
men  and  women  danci  .he 
oak  trees,  before  :\\\  imag  to! 
V.  9. 


30 


ELNATHANo 


was  in  the  form  of  a  bull,  painted  with  vei 
milion,  and  adorned  with  ornaments  of  silverv, 
;i  nd  goM;  and  embroidered  garments,  the  of- 
fc rings  of  the  deluded  worshippers.  Thej 
saw  some  of  these  miserable  idolaters  cutting 
themselves  with  knives  and  lances,  and  run- 
ning franticlj  round  the  image,  uttering  fear- 
mi  cries;  others  getting  the  name  and  like- 
ness of  the  idol  stamped  upon  their  hands 
with  hot  iroa*:  some  had  cut  off  their  hair  as 
an  offerings  others  lifted  up  their  hands  to 
their  mouths  and  kissed  them,  and  then, 
rln^^ching  them  out,  threw,  as  it  were,  the 
the  idol,  and  prostrated  themselves 
ijCkire  it;  and  mothers  they  saw  casting  their 
youiig  cliildren  through  the  flam&s  which  rose 
ii'oni  that  horrid  altar,  to  purifj  them  and 
ensure  the  favour  of  tlic  jdol,  and  to  devote 
them  to  its  service. 

Elnatljan  and  Helah,  as  thej.  looked  upoo 
'hf  cr  *! ■  n      |t?pt  With  grief  and-  shame  for 
and  degradation  of  tlieir  people, 
ana  U)cy  )iaatened  away  from  the  view  of  a 
place  6!A  :'rFa«iriiL  -  ; 

Whc       =  \  i<i  fi'ave]-<  Hie  plain ^ 

■  •  /        ■    ■    i  much  u^'^r£ 


ELNAfHAN.  31 

mountainous  and  rocky  than  that  which  they 
had  passed  through.  By  this  time  the  sun 
was  going  down,  but  they  continued  to  jour- 
ney onwardj  for,  in  Canaan,  at  that  period 
of  the  year,  the  evening  was  tlie  most  agree- 
able season  for  travelling,  and  they  met  many 
way-faring  men  who  had  chosen  that  time  for 
their  journeyings  rather  than  the  day,  that  so 
they  might  escape  the  toilso/ne  and  parcliing 
heat  of  the  sun.  And,  going  forward,  they 
entered  a  very  narrow  valley,  between  two 
high  and  rugged  hills,  at  the  further  end  of 
which  they  came  to  Bethel,  where  Jacob's 
stony  bed  was  blessed  with  the  vision  of  God, 
and  of  the  angels  ascending  and  descending 
between  heaven  and  earth.  But  the}^  passed 
by  it;  for  there  th.e  golden  calf  now  wasj^ 
which  Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat  had  iet  tip, 
lo  turn  the  Kear^f  ihe^people  of  Israel  from 
th6  ordinances thdi- God.  Near  this  piace^ 
they  crossed  ov^y^^  J:he  limits  which  separated 
the  inheritance  of  Epliraim  from  thai  of  Ben- 
jamin, and  the  kingdom  of  Israel  fr- 
So,  going  on  linl"  further, 
•  x'lilage,  neai  -ok  ■Chfritb,' 

^vithui  ih':  border  o''  E 


32 


EL  NATHAN, 


Now.  in  those  days,  tlicre  \\  ere  neither 
inns  nor  caravansaries:  but  the  waj-faring 
man,  if  he  had  no  friends  in  the  place,  sat  in 
the  gate  of  the  city,  or  by  a  well,  or  waited 
in  the  street  till  some  one  invited  liim  to  a 
lodging.  Elnathan  and  Heiah,  after  waiting 
for  some  time  in  the  street  of  this  village, 
passed  along  through  it,  but  no  one  invfted 
them  to  come  to  their  house  to  lodge.  So 
ttiey  went  and  sat  down  on  a  bank  by  tlie 
way-side,  under  the  shade  of  a  sycamore  tree; 
for  a  row  of  tliese  trees  was  planted  along  the 
street  of  the  village,  that  their  v/ide-spreading 
boughs  might  screen  the  inliabitants  from  the 
parching  heat  of  the  sun.  From  the  trunks 
of  tliese  sycamores  grew  a  number  of  little 
stalks,  bearing  bunches  of  young  sycamore 
figs.  Elnathan  saw,  on  the  tree  under  which 
they  sat,  a  bunch  which  ha^l  re.hained  since 
the  time  of  the  last  ripe  ligs,  (for  the  tree 
does  not  observe  any  particular  season;)  so 
he  pulled  down  the  biii  ra  vsth  his  staff,  and, 
dividing  them  with  li  v  b%an  to  eat 

thosesweetand  waten  V  i  ;4;s,  intending, 
if  they  could  get  no  other  sh-citer,  to  pass  the 
night  under  that  tree;  but,  in  a  little  while. 


ELNATHAN, 


35 


the  heavy  dews  of  evening  began  to  fall,  and 
it  became  exceeding  cold;  for,  in^'alestine, 
though  the  traveller  is  consumed  by  the  heat 
in  the  day-time,  it  is  often  cold,  and  even 
frosty  by  night;  and,  unless  a  gracious  Pro- 
vidence had  thus  tempered  the  drought  of  the 
day  by  the  cold  and  dews  of  night,  tlie  land 
would  have  become  a  dry  and  parched  desert. 
Now,  a  widow  woman,  whose  ..iittle  square- 
roofed  house,  or  cottage,  stood  upon  a  sloping 
bank  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  way,  and 
was  encircled  witli  vines,  saw  them  throngli 
the  twilight  as  she  stood  by  her  door,  and  she 
beckoned  them  to  come  near.  When  thej 
came,  she  said  to  them,  "  Whence  are  ye? 
and  why  sit  ye  so  late  under  that  tree?  If  ye 
are  travellers,  and  without  a  home,  come  in 
hither,  I  pray  you,  and  I  will  give  you  Ipdg- 
ing  and  refreshment."  Elnathan  replied  to 
her,  Thy  servants  are  indcQd  straiigers., 
jqurneying  from  Samaria  to  Jerusalem,  that 
we  may  worship  the  God  of  our  fathe 
Huldah,  for  that  was  the  widow'V 
brought  them  into  her  house,  and  ga\ 
water  to  wash  tlieir  feet,  because,  we^uu^ 
only  sandals,  their  feet  wertt  covered  with 


S4  ELNATHAK. 

the  mire  and  dust  of  the  way.  and  she  spread, 
on  the  floor  soft  goat-skins  for  them  to  sit 
upon.  Then  she  kindled  a  fire  of  sticks  upon 
the  hearth,  which  was  almost  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor,  the  smoke  going  out  bj  a  hole  in 
tfee  roof,  between  the  rafters,  which  were 
blackened  with  soot^  for  there  were  no  chim- 
neys in  those  days.  Having  done  this,  she 
brought  forth  a  w^ooden  bowl  or  "  kneading- 
tro^igh,''  containing  leavened  doitgh,  and, 
fai'ming  the  dough  into  small  thin  loaves,  she 
put  them  upon  the  hot  stones  of  the  hearth  to 
toast?  for  then  bread  could  not  be  kept  longer 
than  a  day,  and  was  therefore  baked  as  it  was 

:  and  always  eaten  new.  Then  she 
i.  piece  of  flesh,  and,  cutting  it  into 
;  amii;  piec^?,  ^he  put  them  into  a  pot  along 
>vith  some  Jierbs  '"'li  '  roeal,  and  set  it  upon 
the  fire  io  mak 

AiiSHH-uidaii  called  ij^iicliama.  her  little  son. 
her- only 'child.  Hs  hhd  an  open,  sun-buriit. 
and  ruddy  nee.  his  long  black  hair 

hanging  in  eiu..  '_':l-its  u[K>n 'his  shoul- 

ders? .^nd-.'as  '  ■•  b  -ved  Krrnsplf  to 

El: 


ELNATHAN. 


55 


third  part  of  what  we  now  have,  and  it  is 
likely  that  only  a  few  of  the  principal  fami- 
lies in  Israel  possessed  full  copies  even  of 
those.  Elnathan  then,  like  every  other  Is- 
raelite that  feared  God,  had  treasured  up  in 
his  memory  large  portions  of  the  Divine 
Word,  which  he  had  heard  and  been  taught 
in  his  youth,  before  the  Ephraimites  had  gone 
astray  from  the  ordinances  of  their  God. 
These  Scriptures,  wliich  he  had  thus  laid  ur^ 
.11  his  heart,  were  dear  to  hira,  as  furnishing 
osifhiupl  food  for  holy  meditation  and  prayer^ 
;vei  e  also  dear  to  him,  as  connected , 
ilk  remembrance,  w^it.h  the  |)iety  a.nd  ten- 
der affection  of  his  inotlier  Azubah,  who  had 
taught  him — speaking  of  them  while  they  sat 
in  the  house,  and  when  they  walked  by  the 
way,  and  when  they  by  d'>^yn,  and  wlien  they 
rose  upi  1  'f  whose  beloved 

voice  had  s.:.  ...  cj^va  lul^  iiis  heart,- with  the 
truths' which  slie  taught  him,itid  become  as- 
sociated with  all  his  purest  and  holiest  feel- 
ings, It  was  in  obedience,  tl  ,  ^he  coin- 
maiidments  of  God  which  sb  ht  hiirif 

and  in-conforniity  v:  .  -^aw|He,  jfchat'he: 
now  to-i':        :¥ictO'.»  .  v  n  fv's  khe^^  m<l 


36 


ELNATHAN- 


related  to  hiiu  the  liistory  of  tlie  patriarch 
Joseph,  the  father  of  the  tribe  to  which  he 
himself  belonged.  . 

So  he  began  and  told  him  how  Joseph's 
brethren  sold  him  for  a  slave  to  the  Ishmael- 
ites,  from  envy,  because  his  father  loved  him, 
and  had  made  him  a  vesture  of  honour — a 
coat  of  many  colours— and  because  he  dream- 
ed that  they  should  bow  down  to  him;  and 
hcfW  he  was  carried  away  into  Egypt,  and 
made  a  servant  in  the  house  of  Potiphar:  and 
of  all  his  integrity  while  a  servant,  md  how 
he  feared  to  sin  against  God,  and  was  cast 
into  a  dungeon  because  of  his  purity  and  ho- 
tiu'essi  and  how  God,  who  gave  him  this  in- 
tegi  itj  of  heart,  gave  him  also  faith  to  perse- 
vere, and  eidowed  him  with  divine  wisdom, 
and  sljuwed  hiai  mercy,  and  gave  him  favour 
in  the  siglit  of  the  keeper  of  the  prison;  and 
how  the  chief  butler,  whose  dream  he  inter- 
preted, remembered  not  Joseph,  but  forgot 
hSm*  fill,  at  the  end  of  two  long  years,  l^e 
was  brought  out  of  the  dungeon  to  stand  be- 
fore I%araohj  and  how,  when  the  king  told 
bifli  the  report  tliat  he  had  heard  of  his  un 
dtrstaiiding  to  interpret  dreams,  with  what 


ELNATHAN. 


3T 


true  humility  Joseph  said,  ]t  is  not  in  mey  but 
God  will  give  Pharaoh  ar*  answer  of  peace: 
And  that,  having  declared  to  the  king  his 
dreams,  he,  delighted  witii  such  heavenly 
wisdom,  took  oft'  the  ring  from  his  own  handj 
and  put  it  upon  Joseph's  hand,  and  put  a  gold 
chain  about  his  neck,  and  made  him  ruler 
over  all  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  Elnathaii 
went  on  and  related,  to  the  attentive  boy, 
Joseph's  wisdom  in  the  government  of  Egypt^ 
and  how,  when  the.  famine  was  sore  in  all 
lands,  his  ten  brethren  came  down  to  Egypt 
to  buy  corn;  and  that,  when  they  caaie  and 
bowed  down  themselves  before  liim,  v/ith  their 
faces  to  the  earth,  he  remembered  the  dreams 
that  he  had  dreamed  of  them.  Then  Elna- 
than  told  all  the  policy  of  Joseph  li.  prove  bis 
brethren,  and  that,  when  he  saw  Eenjamm^ 
his  mother's  son,  he  made  haste,  for  his  hoM'- 
els  did  yearn  upon  his  brother,  anu 
whereto  weep,  and  entered  into  his  ciia^i  i^o; 
and  wept  therej—and  that,  v/hen  he  hear^, 
the  earnest  and  afPectio  .ence  ofJu- 

dah,  in  behalf  of  "fiis  fai^Oi  .  .d  Benj&niir^, 
and  the  leTider  remembrance  that  Ms  father 
rM^ined  of  him,  and  Judah  oifering'to  remaiii 


ELNATHAK. 


a  bdndmari  instead  of  Beujainm,  he  couid 
not  refrain  himself,  but  wept  aloud,  and  made 
himseif  known  to  his  brethren,  saying,  I  am 
Joseph,  doth  mj  father  yet  live?  And  how  he 
forgave  his  brethren,  because  he  had  seen  the 
good  hand  of  God  in  all  tlie  evil  that  they  did 
to  him?  And  that  Joseph,  though  he  was  great, 
yet  valued  the  approbation  of  his  aged  and 
pious  father  above  that  of  all  the  world  be- 
side, and  made  his  brethren  haste  up  and  tell 
Jacob  that  God  had  made  him  lord  over  all 
Egypt,  and  to  tell  him  of  all  his  glory  in 
Egypt,  and  of  all  that  they  had  seen;  and 
then,  how  he  fell  upon  Benjamin's  neck  and 
weptj  and  kissed  all  his  brethren,  and  wept 
ypon  them,  and  sent  presents  of  tlie  good 
things  of  Eg3'pt  to  Ids  father 5  and  that,  when 
Israelis  sons  came  and  showed  him  all  this, 
h>e  said.  It  is  enough,  Joseph  my  son  is  yet 
alive,  I  will  go  down  and  see  him  before  i 
die.  Then  Elnathan  related  how  Israel  rose 
up  and  came  into  Egypt,  and  how  Josepl^ 
made  ready  his  chariot,  and  went  up  to  meei 
Israel  his  father,  and  presented  himself  to 
hMy,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  wept  on  hh 
neck\a  good  whilei  and  how  If-rael  said  to 


ELNATHAN.  39 

Joseph,  Now  let  me  die,  since  I  have  seen 
thy  face,  because  tliou  art  yet  alive!  i- 

Here  Elishama,  over  wliose  face  the  tears 
and  smiles  had  been  all  along  chasing  each 
other,  like  the  clouds  and  sunshine  of  an  April 
day,  could  command  himself  no  longer,  but 
burst  out  and  wept  aloud.  As  lor  Elnathan, 
he  related  this  history  without  making  any 
comment,  or  attempting  any  explanation.  It 
had  awakened  the  sympathies  of  the  boy,  and 
so  needed  none^  and  he  made  no  effort  to  en- 
force it  upon  his  attention,  save  by  the  tears 
which  he  shed  as  he  narrated  it,  for  who  could 
tell  such  a  tale  without  tears? 

After  Elnathan -  had  told  Elishama  all  the 
rfest  of  this  incomparable  history,  he  laid  his 
hands  upon  his  head,  and  besought  the  Lord 
for  a  blessing  upon  him.  The  pottage  and 
loaves  being  now  ready,  Huldah  put  the  pot- 
tage into  a  wooden  bowl,  and  set  it  upon  a 
low  table,  with  the  loaves,  and  some  oil  and 
.  inegar,  to  dip  their  bread  in;  and  she  auvi 
her  little  son  sat  down  with  Elnathan  ?pi\ 
Helah  to  supper. 

As  they  sat  togeiiier  after  ptiipper,  Jlulduii 
f'aid  to  Elnathan,  •*  When  tlk>ii  reiiu-iiesf  '.vifh 


40 


1BJ, NATHAN, 


thy  dau£:;hter  from  Jerusnlen's  to  thine  own 
country,  come  ihis  ^vay,  I  pray  thee,  and 
locige  again  in  my  house." 

'^h  - ii  Elriathan  told  her  of  all  the  wicked- 
the  king  and  people  of  Samaria*  and 
that  liis  oun  family  were  all  dead  save  Ile- 
lah*  his  grand-daughter,  and  that  tiieir  inhe- 
ritance was  taken  from  them;  and  liow  their 
only  remaining  kindred,  with  whom  they  had 
lived  as  servants,  had  corrupted  themselves 
and  becoiiie  idolaters,  and  had  forbidden  them 
to  worship  any  more  the  Lord  their  God;  and 
that  they  had  left  their  own  people,  and  their 
country,  and  were  going  toward  Jerusalem^ 
that  tlioy  might  worship  the  Lord  in  the  courts 
of  his  own  house,  in  the  way  tliat  he  had  or- 
■  '  to  their,  Others. 

'itn  Huldah  hcird  this,  she  spake  kindly 
to  ihem,  and  comforted  the  good  old  man,  and 
formed  them  of  all  the  peace  they  jnjojed 

if"  >  IhK  under  the  v^'r'n  of  rood  Jehrsai:>hj;l; 

of  the  I. 

and  who  had  sec 

4  them  tc  ^;!d^.::  '\tar  vx 


E1,N  A  Tl  t  AN. 


41 


Lurd,  faitlitiil!  V,  and  with  a  pcifc':!  Iseart; 
■;in(!  ihiit  tlie  Lord  liad  given  liira  great  (rea- 
suresj-  and  the  fear  of  tlic  Liord  had  fallen 
upon  all  the  nations  round  aboii  (,  so  that  the}'' 
made  no  war  upon  hini.  After  telling  him  all 
liiis,  she  said,  "  I  have  tliree  little  fields,  and 
the  vines  that  grow  round  nij  iiouse,  and  a 
few  sheep;  and  my  husband  is  dead,  and  I 
hii.ve  no  one  save  an  hired  servant  wlii>  ia- 
bi^iirs  'for  me:  Wilt  thou  not  then  slay  with 
!is,  and  manage  our  aflairs  for  us,  and  be  as  a 
father  to  my  son  and  nie?  and  lie!;?!; 
iive  with  us,  and  we  will  sei-ve  Die  ' 
Qod  together  in  peace.'' 

Eiuathati  replied — "  Klc^iscd  hv,  Ihc  i^mi 
of  Israel,  who  hath  not  ff»rsakc?}  vh  in  <}'\v  time 
of  -orrow,  nor  foigotl  aath 
put  it  into  thine  hcarl  i  ~ 
n^ss.  But  I  may  net  reit!:'  , 
I  must  go  to  Jerusalem  to  offer  • 
ing  L^rd  our  God;  fV- 

aga  5  that  I  hav--- 

'  his  wui 


SLKATHAN" 


iambj  theD,  from  our  little  flock  for  a  sacri 
fice,  and  go  up  to  Jerusalem;  and  Helah  will 
abide  with  me  till  thou  retui-ii;  and  may  the 
Lord  accept  thine  oft^ring,  and  fulfil  thy 
prayer. 

So  Elnathan  and  Helah  agreed  to  do  as  the 
good  widow  had  proposed,  and,  when  she  had 
put  her  cottage  in  order,  they  went  to  the  fur- 
ther  end  of  it  to  the  sleeping  chamber;  for 
me  end  of  the  floor  of  the  cottage,  which  con- 
sisted but  of  one  apartment,  was  raised  about 
two  cubits  and  a  half  above  the  rest,  having 
steps  leading  up  to  it,  and  separated  by  a 
curtain  or  vail.  On  tins  raised  place,  or 
bed."  Huldah  spread,  along  the  Mde  of  the 
mattresses  of  thick  quilted  cloth,  with 
pillows,  for  '  . nd  his  daughl'er,  their 
upper  garme";  ■  :■  hem  for  coverings. 

And  after  sh  ihe  "  candle,*'  or 


■^^f^fjd  Oil  the  iii.  \  v;K?.:h  nh^'3VS 


long  wooden  stalk 


-  ning  during  th^^ 
Uttie  him  lay  down  to 


her 


ft' 


S'ifibin  in  the  Emt. 


CHAPTER  IIL 


^ — — After  him  a  cumbrous  train 
Of  herds  and  flocks,  and  numerous  seryitade? 
Not  wand'ring-  poor,  but  trusting  all  Kis  wealth 
With  God.    i  see  liis  tents 
Pitched  about  Shecbi*^->;,  ?     ih--*  nei?hb'r!ngpl&ir. 
Of  Moreb.  "  "  >Hton. 


Next  moriiiD;^.  Eltii'fnar.  a  «u  H^'rJv  ej:S. 
their  kind  hosieiBs  and  h  r  !i 
tlie  dawn;  and  wlien  it  was  :ib<iUi  the  tim:.  oi 
the  moniing  sacrlnbe.  they  knelt  dowr.  tog-e- 
ther, and  ane\\  cornfiiitted  then, 
Almighty  Shepherd  of  Israel,  and  uaor^^..  his* 
holy  name.  Then  ilnidah,'. as  was  the  cm- 
tom,  begr.  e  tire  moinii 

-  she  set  bdore  i;.„-,ri  b. 

fri  shmg  wHer;  :aa:toj 
•  rter  ihi:^  had  eaten,  she  ga-ve  Elna- 
,  c  provision  in  his  scri|>5  for  the  ^vay^ 


46 


ELNATHAN. 


and  a  iamb  for  an  offering;  and,  having  made 
him  again  renew  his  promise  to  come  and 
dwell  with  her,  it  being  now  well  on  in  the 
dav,  he  departed  on  his  journey,  carrying  the 
lamb  under  his  arm. 

Toward  noon,  he  saw  a  shepherd,  who  was 
leading  his  flock  down  the  side  of  a  hill  to 
bring  them  upon  the  highway;  and  he  walked 
hastily  forward  and  saluted  the  shepherd, 
^^'ko  was  a  Kenite.  He  did  not  follow  his 
sheep,  but  walked  before  them,  carrying  in 
his  hand  a  long  rod  or  staff  to  keep  his  flock 
in  order,  and  defend  them,  and  to  number 
them  when  they  returned  from  their  wander- 
ings at  the  close  of  the  day.  .rVnd  from  time 
to  time  he  looked  round  to  call  to  his  sheep 
\- 1  -^'1  Hiey  lingered  behind  or  went  out  of  tl\e 

JO 

wj:)-;  for  he  had  given  to  each  of  them  names, 
and  th^y  were  obedient  to  his  voice,  and  fol- 
lowed hii7i  whitliersoever  he  chose  to  lead 
them.    And  he  said  to  .Elnathan  that  h'^  " 
going  a  little  distance  to  a  valley  v  - 
master  had  pitchediiis  tent,  beside  a  4 
water,  there  to  water  his  Fi6ck,  and  re^t  dv» 
ing  the  heat  of  noon.  .  For  the  Kei 
dwelt  under  tents,  and  wimdered  aboii 


ELNATHAN. 


47" 


the  cities  and  villages  of  Canaan,  feeding' 
their  flocks  wherever  thej  could  find  pasture. 

In  a  short  time  they  came  to  a  little  vallej, 
which  was  a  wilderness  or  uncultivated  place, 
where  Elnathan  saw  a  few  shepherds'  teiit?, 
of  ftblack  or  dark  brown  colour,  pitched  to- 
gether in  the  form  of  a  circle.  Thej  were  of 
a  long  form,  supported  by  one  or  two  poles 
in  the  middle,  according  to  their  size,  ar.d 
divided  within,  by  a  curtain,  into  t\vo  apart- 
ments, one  of  which  was  appropriated  ^^Ik^e 
women.    Their  covering  on  the  outaii^^tiis 
cioth  made  of  goats'  hair,  wliich  tv;  .  kepc 
firm  and  steady  by  being  tied  at  the  e 
with  cords  fastened  to  liooked  pins  v  l 
were  driven  into  the  ground;  and  th' 
space  within  the  circle  of  tents  se 
fold  for  their  flocks  in  the  night.    The  shep  - 
herds were  sitting  by  i^ic  doors  of  their  tents 
or  under  shady  trees,  surrounded  with  their 
fl!ocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  waiting  (ill  a'^  their 
companions  were  assembled,  bef(  ai^ 
tlie  stone  which  covered  the  -ii o  ^    oi  the 
well,  and  prevented  it  being  filled  up  witii 
sand  and  dust;  for  enemies  often  took  ie- 
■-,Y  stopping  up  anu  ■  -  the 


48 


ELSATHAN. 


wells  of  those  whom  they  hated.  And  wheB 
the  shepherd  who  accompanied  Elnathan  had 
arrived,  they  removed  the  stone  from  the 
well,  and  drew  water  v>'ith  leathern  pitchers, 
and  poured  it  into  troughs  for  their  flocks  to 
drink. 

After  the  young  man  whom  Elnathan  had 
met  on  the  wa^',  had  given  his  flock  in  charge 
to  one  of  his  brethren,  he  brought  the  good 
old  man  to  his  master,  who  was  sitting  under 
the  shade  of  his  tetit  door,  enjoying  the  cool 
breeze,  and  observing  the  conduct  of  his 
shepherds;  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  Elnathan, 
and  tlial  he  was  a  stranger,  and  marked  his 
%  enerable  appearance,  he  rose  np  and  came 
io  meet  him,  accompanied  by  several  of  his 
neople.  And  when  he  had  saluted  him,  he 
requested  him  to  be  his  guest,  and  to  remain 
with  hhn  that  day  and  the  next,  which  was 
the  Sabbath.  But  Elnathan  answered—*'  I. 
woiild  Oiily  e,;^T  a  morsel  and.  go  forward,  for 
I  gt'eatly  desire  to  be  in  Jerusalem,"  So  (he 
mascer  of  the  shepherds,  whose,  name  was 
Heber,  brought  Elnathan  into  liis  own  teiit. 
And  he  sent  to  Rachel  his  wife~!-w}io-,  liTce 
Sarah  and  Rebecca,  occupied  a  separate  teut^ 


ELNATHAN. 


49 


and  was  employed  with  her  daughters  In 
spinning  wool — and  she  made  ready  meat  and 
bread.  For,  as  we  have  said,  food  in  that 
warm  climate  can  only  be  prepared  in.  anal! 
portions  as  it  is  needed;  and  this  is  the  rea  - 
son why  Abraham,  though  he  was  so  rich, 
had  to  make  ready  to  set  before  the  angels 
who  came  to  his  tent  on  their  way  to  Sodom. 

When  the  food  was  prepared,  they  spread 
on  the  floor  of  the  tent  a  round  mat  neatly 
made  of  straw^  and  on  it  they  placed  several 
wooden  bowls,  in  which  were  flesh,  boiled 
and  cut  into  small  pieces,  and  bread,  and 
new  cheese,  and  sour  curdled  milk,  and  feat* 
ter  which  had  been  churned  in  a  large  leath- 
ern bottle,  shaken  to  and  fro.  And  Heber 
caused  Elnathan  to  sit  down,  alons  with  him- 
self  and  those  who  were  with  him,  around 
that  simple  table,  and  he  divided  to  Elnatlian 
a  larger  portion  than  tlie  rest,  as  a  mark  of 
kindness  and  regard.  These  plain  shep^ 
used  no  spoons,  but,  in  taking  the 
dipped  their  hands  into  the  wooden  di.- 1 
which  held  it,  and  snprx'i'd  the  '^urd  out  cf 
their  palms. 

After  ther  had  enaed  irieir  repasi,  tlie 


50 


ELNATHAN. 


joung  shepherd  who  had  brought  Elnathan 
thither,  took  a  harp,  and,  sitting  down  under 
the  green  boughs  of  a  great  oak  tree,  with  the 
other  shepherds  around  him,  he  began  to  play 
a  sweet  and  solemn  air,  and,  accompanying 
it  with  his  voice,  he  sung — 

"  The  Lord  is  our  shepherd,  no  want  we  shall  know ; 

We  feed  in  green  pastures,  safe-folded  we  rest ; 
He  ieadeth  our  souls  where  the  still  waters  flow, 

Restores  us  when  wand'ring,  redeems  when  opprest. 

Through  tiie  valley  and  shadow  of  death  though  we  strafe 
Since  thou  art  our  guardian,  no  evil  we  fear ; 

Thy  rod  shall  defend  us,  thy  staff  be  our  stay ; 
Ko  harm  can  befall  with  our  Comforter  near. 

In  the  midst  of  afiiiction  our  table  is  spread — 
Yvith  blessings  unmeasured  our  cup  runneth  o*er ; 

:  "Ith  perfume  and  oil  Thou  anointest  our  heads ; 
t~    r  at  chall  we  ask  of  thy  providence  more  ? 

I.etgoo  ncsj  and  mercy,  our  bountiful  God, 
Stiil  folic  vv  our  steps  till  we  meet  Thee  above; 

We  seel-' -by  the  path  wliich  our  forefathers  trode 
Through  v-ie  land  of  their  sojourn— thy  kingdom  of 

■  -  ;      ,  „r-^9d  shepherd- 

he  -  .  oon;  for,  like 

of  Jesse,  many  of  rh;»m  were  cunning 
|  :  the  harp,  and  doli^^htA-^  'r  ' 


EL  NATHAN. 


51 


ing  those  inestimable  lays  which,  by  the  Di- 
vine Spirit,  David  composed  for  the  worship 
of  the  God  of  Israel,  And  when  the  heat  of 
the  day  was  past,  Heber  gave  Elnatban  a 
little  honey  as  a  present,  and  so  he  departed 
on  his  journey  toward  Jerusalem. 

Elnathan's  journey  all  that  day,  and  in- 
deed ever  since  he  left  the  border  of  Ephraira, 
had  been  exceeding  rough  and  toilsome,  ow- 
ing to  the  rocky  and  mountainous  nature  of 
the  country  through  which  he  passed,  which 
rendered  his  progress  extremely  slow.  As 
he  proceeded,  the  ruggedness  of  his  path 
seemed  to  increase,  leading  him  now  from 
the  bottom  of  valleys  to  the  top  of  hills,  and 
from  the  top  of  hills  to  the  bottom  of  valleys, 
yet  the  cultivation  every  where  was  rnarvel- 
lousj- and  the  hills,  as  they  continually  chanc  - 
ed, with  respect  to  him,  their  levels  and  s'- 
tuationS;,  presented  him  almost,  at  ^ 
with  new  forms  and  new  beaut 
white  rocks  and  the  valleys  of  Judal 
veredwith  corn  fields  and  plantation^  of  Ogs, 
and  vines,  and  olive  trees,  and  «^cn?'s"^]y  a 
single  spot  seemed  to  be  neo-;  The 
l^ls,  from  their  bases  to  the".r  uh..C'^  mm- 


5$ 


ELNATHAN. 


mits,  were  cultivated  like  gardens^  and  the 
industry  of  the  numerous  inhabitants  had 
tarried  the  faces  even  of  the.  most  barren  in- 
to fruitful  fields.  They  had  gathered  up  the 
loose  stones  with  which  they  were  encumber- 
ed, and  built  low  walls  stretching  along  their 
stdrile  sides.  By  these  stony  borders,  they 
supported  the  earth,;  which  they  brouglit  from 
a  distance  and  spread  upon  their  sides,  from  ' 
tumbling  down  or  being  washed  away,  ana 
formed  so  many  hanging  fields,  bearilg '^brn, 
melons,  and  cucumbers,  rising  gradually  one 
above  another  from  the  bo]^()m  to  the  top  of 
the  hills.  And  oii  the  mds|:  steep  and  rocky 
parts  of  all  were  planted^  vines  atid  olive 
trees,  which  delight  to  extract  tlie  one  its  fat- 
ness, and  the  other  its  sprightly  juice,  from 
such  dry  and  flinty  places.  The  air  was 
light,  pure,  and  serene,  and  the  clear  blue 
heavens  without  a  cloud ;  and  he  met  every 
where  with  tov^rns  and  villages  full  of  people. 
But  it  is  vain  to  attempt  forming  a  desmp- 
tion  of  the  past  richness  and  beauty  of  that 
venerable  and  glorious  land,  which  now  lies 
a  yellow  and  barren  waste.  Nor  can  we  ever 
ebtain  a  nobler  conception  of  its  excellency 


ELNATHAN. 


than  that  which  the  language  of  inspiration 
conveys — A  land  flowing  with  /milk  and  lio- 
nej — a  field  which  tlie  Lord  hath  blessed — 
God  hath  given  it  of  the  dew  of  heaven,  and 
of  the  fatness  of  thelfrth,  and  plenty  of  corn 
and  wine. 

And  when  Elnathaii  was  yet  distant  from 
Jerusalem  more  than  eighteen  furlongs,  he 
felt  hims€if  so  fatigued  that  he  could  proceed 
no  further;  and  so  he  gave  up  his  purpose  of 
reaching  the  city  that  evening.  He  was  near 
^  little  range  of  hills,  almost  covered  wdth 
olive  trees  that  w^ere  now  in  full  bloom,  and 
laden  with  branches  of  pale  yellow  flowers. 
They  were  of  a  moderate  height,  their  trunks 
knotty,  but  tlie  bark  smooth  and  of  an  ash 
colour^  their  leaves  shaped  like  those  of  the. 
willow,  of  a  dark  green  on  the  upper  side, 
and  white  under;  and  their  flowering  branch 
es,  stretching  out  around,  gave  to  these  f  ruit- 
ful olives  a  form  of  peculiar  grace  and  beaut}'. 

At  the  foot  of  Ihc  nearest  of  ihn  hills  stood 
a  village,  wliirh  v;as  almost  Iw-  ' 
sight  by  the  m in  tit ii do  of  olive  ■ 
surrounde^t  i'-  .^-'d  nn' 


ELNATHAN. 


of  the  village,  Elnathan  saw  a  well  which 
was  overshadowed  by  a  number  of  palm 
trees,  and  little  companies  of  young  women 
going  thither  with  pitchers  on  their  shoulders 
to  draw  water.'  So  he*^ent  and  sat  down 
near  the  well,  under  the  shade  of  the  palm 
trees,  and  there  waited  till  some  one  would 
invite  him  to  a  lodging.  The  well  was  hewn 
out  of  the  solid  rock,  and  the  women  went 
down  by  steps  cut  in  the-rock  to  the  water, 
which  bubbled  out  from  a  cievice  in  the  side 
of  the  well.  The  lofty  and  embowering  palm 
trees  that  hung  over  it,  were  a  shade  from 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  so  preserved  the 
grassy  turf  around  always-  green,  and  ren- 
dered it  a  cool  and  refreshino;  resting  place 
for  the  wearied  tro  veller.  These  palm  trees, 
the  symbols  of  constrmcy  and  victory,  love  to 
grow  by  the  side  of  a  brook,  or  well  of  iiving 
water,  and  resisting  all  attempts  to.  press 
them  downwards,  spring-  up  directly  toward 
heaven.  And  Elnathan  continued  waiting 
there  for  some  time:  for,  although  many  of 
the  women,  after  they  went  down  into  the 
well  and  had  filled  their  pitchers,  stood  still 


ELNATHAN. 


55 


and  looked  at  him,  yet  no  one  spake  to  hinij 
nor  asked  him  to  come  to  their  house  and 
lodge.  * 

At  last  there  came  a  little  maid,  clothed  in 
a  long  robe  of  blue  linen  embroidered  with 
various  colours,  and  having  her  long  tresses 
of  dark  hair  adorned  with  flowers.  And  she 
bowed  her  head  to  Elnathan,  with  her  hands 
folded  upon  her  breast,  and  saluted  him. 
Then  raising  her  soft  eyes,  she  said,  "  Surely 
thou  art  a  stranger  in  this  place:  tarry  not  in 
the  fields  ^11  night,  but  come  with  me  to  the 
house  where  I  dwell,  and  wash  thy  feet  and 
eat  bread,  and  abide  with  us  till  thou  mayest 
again  go  upon  thy  journey."  And  Elnathan 
replied,  I  am  indeed  a  stranger,  come  from 
Samaria  on  my  way  to  Jerusalem,  to  offef* 
sacrifice  to  the  Lord  God  of  our  fathers. "  So 
he  rose  up  and  followed  her.  And  she  brought 
him  to  a  small  white  summer-house  which 
stood  in  the  midst  of  a  garden,  and  vi'as  en- 
Tironed  with  vines,  and  shaded  with  fig-trees 
and  olives,  with  a  beautiful  fountain  of  wsder 
before  it  And  Zillah,  for  that  was  the  name 
of  the  little  maid,  said  to  ZipporaH,  an  aged 
woman  who  was  her  nurse,  and  whom  she 


56 


ELNATHAN. 


loved  as  a  second  niother,  This  stranger 
was  travelling  toward  Jerusalem,  and  it  is 
now  near  the  Sabbath,  and  he  had  nowhere 
to  lodge,  and  I  have  brought  him  hither  if  he 
maj  stay  with  us,  till  he  go  again  upon  his 
joiirney."  Then  Zipporah  welcomed  Elna- 
than,  and  led  him  into  the  house,  and  set  be- 
fore him  cream  and  honej,  and  little  loaves 
of  bread,  for  his  refreshment;  and  Zillah  took 
the  lamb  that  he  had  with  him  into  the  gar- 
den to  browse.  And  as  soon  as  the  sun  was 
set,  the  Sabbath  began,  and  all  labour  instant- 
ly ceased. 

Early  next  morning,  Zillah,  and  her  nurse, 
and  Elnathan,  went  to  a  green  hill  side  at 
about  six  furlongs,  or  a  Sabbath-day's  jour- 
ney, distant,  where  a  number  of  Israelites 
were  assembled  together  for  prayer.  It  was 
a  retired  and  solitary  place,  enclosed  by  a 
grove  of  lofty  trees,  whose  calm  shadows  lay 
upon  the  green  grass,  and,  while  they  served 
as  a  shelter  from  the  sun,  disposed  the  mind 
to  peace  and  contemplation.  And  it  being 
the  time  of  the  morning  sacrifice,  they  stood 
with  their  faces  toward  Jerusalem  and  pray- 
edy  each  one  apart  for  h!m:;elf.    There  was 


ELNATHAN. 


59 


in  the  midst  of  them  one  of  the  sons  of  the 
prophets.  His  dress  was  extremely  simple, 
being  only  a  rough  garment  of  coarse  shaggy 
hair-eloth,  tied  about  with  a  leathern  girdle. 
He?  looked  liKi  one  wli0  spent  much  oC^>i^ 
time  in  meditation  and  prayer:  the  under  ftit 
of  his  face  was  covered  by  his  long  beard,  but 
his  pale  forehead,  and  serene  eyes,  had  an 
almost  angelic  appearance  of  softness  and 
purity.  And  he  stood  up  and  opened  a  roll 
of  painted  linen,  on  which  was  writteria  copy 
of  the  books  of  Moses,  and  he  read=^^ut  of  it 
to  the  people,  and  explained  it  to  them,  and 
exhorted  them.  And,  again  in  the  evenings 
Elnathan,  and  Ziilah,  and  her  nurse,  went  to 
that  place  of  prayer,  or  holy  convocation.  It 
was  in  this  manner,  v/ith  humility  and  gra- 
titude, that  the  ancient  Israelites  sanctified 
the  Sabbath,  as  a  memorial  of  the  creation, 
and  of  their  deliverance  from 
Egypt  J  and  as  a  type  of  th^  ^ 
.ind  tov/ard  the  close 
^pporah,  and  T''  ' 
,  in  -i'lii-^  fjnrrlf-' 


60 


ELNATHAX. 


the  grassy  turf  before  them.  Arid  Zillah  said 
to  Einatban,  I  know  that  thou  art  going  to 
take  this  little  lamb  to-mGrri>w  to  JeruMlem, 
to  offer  it  for  abiirnt-ofFeririg  to  the  Lord  our 
God|  tell  me,  I  praj  thee,  what  is  signified 
by. this  statute  in  Israel?" 

Then  Eljiathan  told  her,  how  God  had  cre- 
ated Adam  in  innocence  and  uprightness,  and 
of  the  covenant  that  he  had  graciously  made 
with  him;  but  that  he  listened  to  the  tempta- 
tion of  the  serpent,  and  did  break  the  cove- 
nant of  God,  and  so  fell  from  his  state  of  up- 
rightness, and  brought  sin  and  death  upon 
riimself  and  all  his  children.     Nov/,  Zillah," 
ntinued,  *'it  is  because  we  are  thus 
.  and  continually  doing  iniquity,  that 
vve  need  sacrifices  and  offerings.     As  the 
Mood  of  the  sacrifice  is  poured  out  and  its 
body  burnt,  so  justly  ought  our  blood  to  be 
pouy^ed  out  and  we  ourselves  destroyed,  be- 
:     of  our  sin.    But  God  ha^i  appointed 
-acrifices,  that,  our  guilt  beinir  tr.ir>s- 
'i8m,  they  might  suffer  and  dk^  in 
'  .;      r.;-.   I'hink  nou  however,  rav  d-.    '  'f-T. 
that,  by  any  Oilering  we  can  iiiiai'. 
able  to  render  ourselves  righteous  in.  the 


51 


of  God;  or  that  thete  sacrifices  can  take,  awav 
our  sins,  or  satisfy  for  the  smaliest  of  our 
transgressions.  0  no!  as  such,  God  doth  not 
desire  them.  Thev,  indeed,  may  cleanse  us 
and  make  us  pure  in  the  eyes  of  men;  but  the 
righteousness  which  God  requires,  is  that  of 
the  heart—a  perfect  purity  from  sin-— a  spot- 
less righteousness;  and  I,  Zillah,  and  thou/ 
and  all  the  children  of  Adam,  are  partakers 
;  ©f  a:iiepraved  nature,  and  altogether  corrupt* 
and  utterly  indisposed,  of  ourselves,  to  obey 
the  holy  an  J  spiritual  law  of  the  Lord  <  ^' 
God;  and,  li^t  obeying,  we  m\ux  die. 

And  whea  the  little  maid  heard, 
could  not  refrain  from  wee]:i)tu"o  for  she  felt 
in  herself  how  true  it  was.  Wliich  Elnaihaii 
seeing,  while  he  withheld  not  from  weepMg^ 
with  her,  he  thence  showed  her  how  great 
was  her  need  of  some  higher  atonement  than 
the  Wood  of  lambs  or  goats;  some  better  right- 
eousness than  ought  that  she  was  able  to  do 
could  ever  procure.  And  then,  he  told  her 
of  that  promise  of  infinite  grace,  which,  iSktd 
made  io  Adam,  that  there  should  come  s 
Seed  wi.o  should  bruise  the  head  of  the  ser- 


EI.XATHAX. 


pent,  that  is,  destroy  sin  aiulu?ath;  and  how 
this  promise  of  a  Saviour,  ind  salvation  by 
him,  was  renewed  and  con-iFmed  to  Abraham; 
that  israei  in  liis  dying  blessing  had  prophe- 
sied of  the  coming  of  this'Shiloh: — "  This," 
Elnatijrji  went  on,     thi&lls  the  Star  which 
Balaam  ff>retells  shall  come:  out  of  Jacob— this 
js  the  Redeemer,  the  as?^iirance  of  whose 
t  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth, 
Job  amid  all  his  griefs — -thi^  is  the 
'i<*:  at  the  right  h'and  of  God,  the 
f  of  whom  Bavid  sings;  and  it 
ed  seed,  tlvis  divrne  deliverer, 
HHces  point  and  fefer.  in 
.  i less:  it  is  only  when 

:.u^<i.iiie  lo  boa.  - ' 
"  Now,"  s^id  Zillali  *with  a  smile,  ihough 
'listened  with  tears,  *'now  I 
V;^  Zipporah  told  me; 
our  guilt,  and  par 
.e  liid  it  not  fm^  our  good 
o^lVrin^  or  sacnii- 
'tbo^elher  worOilei^j' 


ELNATHAX. 


6^ 


but  he  di4  it  for  liis  own  nauie'S  sake.  O, 
that  I  may  always  walk  in  his  statutes,  iwid 
do  whatis  pleasing  in  his  eyes  I'' 

"  God  giveth  to  thee,  my  daughter,"  said 
Elnathan,  "  his  Holy  Spirit,  to  renew  thy 
heart  and  soul,  and  ta  make  thee  willing  to 
eschew  all  sin,  and  walk  in  his  command- 
ments." And,  uhen  he  had  said  this,  tj^t 
he  might  the  more  impress  her  mind  with  her 
dependence  on  this  blessed  aid  and  its  sufti- 
ciency,  he  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  led  lier 
to  a  large  rose  bush  wliich  was  covered  with 
roses,  and,  pusb.ing  aside  some  $hel>i;anc].\c.s 
with  his  ariTs^Jie  sl-K>wed  her  ;^  ro  i  w&h  haxi 
withered  on  tlie  stalk  Tv^i4ii<r^  ^-^ni^i^^g  to  m 
turity.  Tell  me,  now,  Zrllah."  he  said, 
"  what  is  the  reason  that  t  Kit 
flourished  like  the  rest?" 

I  suppose  it  is  be* 
iVam  the  sun." 

Thou  h:^^'-  ri-vl  •] - 

unfold  the  beaucy  ui  i^ivse  >iQ^.^'x<^.  y 
quiekeuing  power  of  the  S>T'^'tt  TTf  c^ 
sanctify  and  enlighten,  tliv  ; 
my  daiifrhter.  to  the  Oo^'  j-ravej-, 


64  ELNATHAN, 

'  ^  ■  '-.n  hunsbie  faitli,  in  all  Ihv  duties,  and  m 
ae  efforts  after  holiness  and  purity,  that 
;  v  uphold  thee  by  his  free  Spiritj  other- 
,  though  thy  performances  may  be  many, 
thou  wiit  only  resemble  this  ujntimely  rose; 
beitig  deprived  of  the  siili,  is  without 
and  without  beauty." 
i-  r am  various  precepts  of  Scripture,  it  is 
k  "'    rliat  it  was  in  this  manner  the  young 
a  of  the  ancient  Israelites  acquired 
religious  knowledge.    They  possessed 
moroiB  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
upon  ev  ery  subject,  as  we  do,  and  their 
IfMiblic  teachers  w  ere  few;  but  the  ©eremonial 
part  jaf  th^ir  religion,  rcqiiired  so  many  things 
to  be  done  which  addressed  themselves  to  the 
fteTiSes— things  which  differed  so  greatly  from 
the  actions  of  comvnon  life,  that  the  curiosity 
(of  t!|^  j-t>ung  would  be  kept  perpetually  awake 
'    •  V  the  meaning  of  the  testimonies,  an«l 
\ites,  whirh  the  liord.  their  God  had 
.  .'.fiorded  the  happiest, 
>'jji|>cn'.  0  t.v-i  aged  of  pouring  instruc  - 

tion i^!'.-  'ho  mi"i.dfl  of  their  children.  An  m- 
t  \r.g  person,  in  these  days*  v/ould 

Ic.  i  ,   .  ,  opportunity  of  inquiring  at  the  af- 


ELXATHAN. 


fectibnalo  and  venerated  iips  of  his  ^nirents,^ 
0;  of  the  elders  of  the  place  where  hC; dwelt;, 
and,  though  the  knowledge  he  would  thus  ac-, 
quire  might  be  small  when  compared  with 
what  the  youiig  in  our  days  caii  at^n*  vc  v 
surlly,  it  would  be  very  impressive  and  verji 
precious.  We  cannot  imagine  a  more  inter- 
esting sight,  than  some  ruddy  boy,  like  tliat 
young  shepherd,  who  kept  his  father's  flocks 
on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem,  sitting  listening 
at  the  feet  of  an  aged  and  pious  heixlsman  v.-bo 
iiad  himself  been  an  eye-witncsa  or,  art  actor 
in  the  judgments  which  he  related.  And  we 
can  hai'dly  think  of  a  mo^te  t  leji 
more  fitted  to  keep  al?""^  tht^  ^  \ 
of  the  teacher  and  tlie 

that  they  neglected  all  i  -  a  .  .  ..  .. ^    ,  ..  ,:  i 

fell  into  the  most  degrading  igi;  ;     :  :e.  <> 
let  His  then  beware  that  Vf%  sftiju.- 
greater  facilities  which  we  eojoj- 

When  the  sun  had  gone  down,  and  :'-e 
Sabbath  was  ended,  and  tl>ey  had  returij^ed 
into  the  house,  EHnatiian  said:"  I  must 
from  this^lace  to-merrow  momii^,  long  jbe- 
fore  the  dawii,  thrtt  I  may  be  in  JcnisaleRi  at 
thf  i\c>''  of  the  nifr  -in-  -a^'-iHre,"  A^id 


66 


ELNATKAJx'. 


Zillah  asked  him  if  he  had  my  one  m  Jeru 
salem  to  lodge  with  while  he  remained  there; 
and  he  said  he  had  no  one.   Then  she  said  to 
him,  '  '  I,  too,  must  go  to  Jerusalem  to-mor- 
)o  w.,  for -on  the  fourth  day  of  the  week  my 
sister  Esther  is  to  be  marrkd  to  Obed  the 
son  of  Nathaofah,  and  I  will  tell  my  mother 
of  tliee:  So,  after  the  evening  ser-vdce  in  the 
*      '     if  thou  wilt  stand  by  the  Valley- 
will  come  to  thee,  and  bring  thee  to 
ler's  house,  and  thou  wilt  be  our  guest 
r.    er-au  return  again  to  thine  own  country,'^ 
.:  Now  the  little  maid  sprjke  all  thi?^  in  her 
M^^iiv^s  iiairo;  rho  ar  - 

s   '■■  tes,  a  hu »ba  «J|e 

jiAon.g' '  o'-'i  and  tb  "^^^^^  >  'r.nhisaf- 
akened:  The 
.  romed  tomakf 
■ipal  object  of  the^i 
and  ue  see,  in  the  io* 
"  that  the  children  of 
th'-  -  each  otiier  wrr'"-  ?. 

^  '  leifi'  h  ''f>re  dicy  weni 

:\HiatH-  .9  maid  -• 


CHAPTER  IV. 


——Such  deliriit  hath  God  in  mm 
Obedient  to  his  Filij  that  he  vouchsEfes 
Among  them  to  set  up  his  tabernacle, 
The  holy  One  with^  mortal  rnan  to  dwell— 

■  -  -informing  them,  by  types 
And  shadovrs,  of  that  destined  Seed  to  bruise 
The  serpent — by  what  means  h.s  fihall  achier© 
Mankind's  deliverance." 

MUimi. 


The  following  morning,  Elnatliaii  ■: 
earl  J,  before  the  dawn;  and  taking  the  joutig 
iamb  under  his  arm,  he  went  on  his  waj  to= 
ward  Jemsalem.    His  road  lay  along^  tm^  &f 
those  causeways  of  stone,  made  '  ■  J  So- 
lomon to  manifest  the  gran  fleur  ^ . 
and  government,  leading  toward .  J 
on  tha  east  side.    And  whe-n      i  - 
top  of  the  chain  of  little  1 
olive  trees,,  which  on  the  e  = 
daj  bounded  his  v\f  -//  h  :  ] 

Stretched  our 
Kedroiij  and  the  mook  m  ikedrm  rAaiim^^- 
through  it.    And,  m  the  ©pp<>site  gid®  of 


68 


this  vallej,  at  the  distance  of  about  eight  or 
nine  fiiriougs,  he  «aw  tlirec  liills,  wliich,  as 
the  dawn  adyanced,  he  could  jicrcehe  were 
eurrounded  by  a  wall  and  (  >  v-  and  cov- 
ered with  buildings.  Hr  lusalem. 
On  the  firstj  or  southmost  oi  tr.ese  iiiils,  call- 
ed Mount  Acra,  stood  the  citj.  On  the  se- 
cond, or  Mount  Moriah,  where  in  ancient 
days  Abraham  had  . offered  up  his  son  Isaac, 
the  Temple  of  Jehovah  r.ow  stood,  the  centre 
of  aipj  and  the  place  of  his  rest. 

Th;v  v;,.:V.:.  v'-:^  n>^^:*-  nortkerlj  of  these  hills, 
was  named  David.  andr>  Mount 

^fem  or  the  lioij  liii:.  '  the  ark- of  the 

c wenanl  had  thr  -'^  der  tlie  t^nt 

whtek  B<avid  pit':,  iiill  was 

cbfeiiJed  by  high  towers  ■..vid  lalwurks;  and 
'  n  ' '  s'ood  the  kin^r'^  liause,  and  Millo,  where 
^js  princes  met  lo^^t'i'-'  in  council. 
£  iym  ibis  hfli  there  was  made,  bv  king 
lomon,  a  paved  road,  passing  across  the  val- 
ley which,  separa  J  the -hill  on  which 
the  Temple  .stood ^  ■  '  c^"  ■■  ]-  =  :  n^jad 
13  pla-Q ted  a  row  of  lo:  ees. 
These  three  liills  lay  not:  I.;,  a  slraighj;  line; 


m 


iie  'otlier  two  aortk_  and  south,  Motirit 
bemg  the  highest^ 

And  Elnathati  stood  still  for  a  while  t© 
look  upon  that  citj-— Jerusalem— the  city  of 
God/ where  the  thrones  of  the  house  of  Da- 
^id  were  set,  and  to  which  the  Shiloh  shotsM 
come:  That  city?  the  beauty  and  glory  of 
which  had  been  the  theme  of  his  earliest  ad- 
"  miration  and  -delight? — in  wh.ps€  solenm  as-' 
semblies  the  holiest  and  happiest  moment*i  &i 
his  life  had  been  spent,  and  which  stocsd  a- 
mid  the  dark  and  fierce  idolatries  of  the  hea- 
then nations,  as  the  wells  and  palm  trees  ©f 
Elim  amid  the  siirrounding  desert.  ■  And-  El- 
nathan  ■  lifted  up  his  handsj  amd  ble- ■  ''"S: 
Lord  his  God  who  had  brought-  l;'^ 
more  within  sight  of  his  holy  T' 
he. hastened  on  his  w^"tiif>iig  an.  vmitf 
Kedron,  jaedittff&g,  as  he  went,  -  on 
—-gfacious  things  which  God  had,  dors; 
people  Israel, 

And  passing  by  Absalom's  P'\ 
King's  dale,  wliere  tlie  pillar  s^- 
rebeliioas  prince  reared  iv 
t»f  himself,  bscauge  he  had 


TO 


ET_.  NATHAN. 


Site  the  h?'l  -^i  jiich  the  Temple  sfood.  And 
after  brook  Kedroii,  where  H  is 

joii^ed  by  its  sister  brook  EivRogel,  oi*  S-ilo- 
am.  V  ;^  -  .v  ibuiitaiii  rises  at  flm  loot  of 
M'  },  he  entered  the  city  of  Jenisa- 

Water-gate^  here  the  waters. of 
1  were  used  in  the  Temple,  pass- 
themseives  into  the  brook  Ked - 
;e  the  Gibeonites  dwelt^  vvhos^  b«- 
to  liew  wood,  and  draw  water, 
.  . :  service  of  the  Sanctuary  of  ;  the  Lord, 
/..fid  when  he  bad  gone  a  little  way  along 
the    slreet  of  ^he  W;^t'^r-«:ate,"  he  saw  two 
poor  wome?  y  the  door  of 

'v:'«use gEiiiUii:^:  ..-.rii  5;.-    milj;  for  itwas 
.  ■  -'^r  of  the  woi-^verij  &c  Ruud-servantSj  to 
;  mornin^g  as  :much  meal  as  would 
servb  .     d)e  dar.  -.Qne  of  the  ^worajen 'sat 
ei^osite  tlie  .other,  iia¥inj"lt5=''miits^  be- 
;  k  their  Tight  hand  they  push- 
i''-  f€  'the  uprser  lmi!-sf'j!^>^ 
;iplt)yed 

with  cor  a  as  tast  as  U  wa^^  around;  anu  >.aev 
accompanied  their  lab^sur  ^  v.-i'ih  a  s^/ns:.'  Kl- 
natlian  went  to  them,  an 

1  «traB2;er,  gding  up  '     iu^^-^  :  i'- 


?1 


ELNATHAN. 


worship,  and  asked  them  to  keep  the  Iamb 
which  he  had  with  him  till  he  should  return 
again.  And  they  promised  to  do  this,  and 
he  left  it  with  them. 

So  he  went  onward,  and  ascended  Mount 
Moriah,  and  drew  near  to  the  eastern  gate 
of  the  outer  court  of  the  Temple,  called  the 
King's  Gate,  which  was  framed  of  wood,  and 
overlaid  with  plates  of  brass.    The  wail  of 
the  court,  w^hich  was  partly  of  wood,  and 
partly  of  stone,  was  on  this  side  supported 
upon  a  great  terrace,  raised  up  with  huge 
stones  from  the  deep  valley  of  Kedron  below, 
in  order  to  enlarge  the  space  on  the  top  of 
the  hill,  and  make  it  equal  to  the  plan  which 
Solomon  intended.  And  when  the  sun  began 
to  rise,  the  gates  of  the  Lord's  House  were 
opened  by  the  porters,  to  the  sound  of  silver 
trumpets;  and  Elnathan  entered  into  the 
outer  court,  or  court  of  the  people,  along  with 
the  multitude  who  had  come  from  the  city  to 
worship.    He  advanced  toward  the  steps  of 
the  east  gate  of  the  inner  court  of  the  Tem- 
ple, called  the  higher  gate  of  the  Lord's 
House.    And,  looking  through  this  gate,  he 
saw  before  him  the  lofty  and  magnificent 


ELNATHA^^ 


porch  of  the  House  of  God,  or  Sanctuary^ 
one  hundred  and  twenty  cubits  high»  built  of 
beautiful  white  stones,  which  had  been  hewn 
in  the  neighbouring  mountains^ — behind  this, 
on! J  half  its  height  frorn.fjie  ground,  but  of 
tqml  altitude,  being  bmlt  on  a  hill,  stood  the 
Temple,  or  Sanctuary,  itself;  consisting  of 
the  Holy  Place,  and  Holy  of  Holies,  sur- 
rounded by  three  stories  of  chambers,  each 
fiur  cubits  square.  And,  within  the  court, 
he  saw  the  brazen  altar,  and  the  molten  sea, 
and  the  priests  passing  to  and  fro,  barefooted^ 
and  clothed  in  long  white  linen  garments, 
having  girdles  embroidered  with  blue,  purple, 
and  scarlet,  and  bonnets  of  white  linen  upon 
tlieir  heads.  And,  lying  upon  the  ascent  to 
the  altar,  he  saw  the  lamb  already  slain  and 
prepared  for  the  morning  sacrifice.  And  El- 
nathan  put  oft"  his  sandals,  and  covered  his 
head  with  the  corner  of  his  garment,  as  un- 
worthy to  lift  up  his  eyes  in  the  divine  pre* 
sencei  and  so  he  went  and  stood  in  his  place 
among  the  congregation  of  Israelites  who  had 
come  to  worship. 

Two  priests  now  began  to  ascend,  with 
great  solemnity,  the  steps  which  were  before 


ELNATHAN. 


the  door  of  the  lofty  and  beautiful  porch  of 
the  Lord's  House,  to  offer  incense  upon  the 
golden  altar,  within  the  Holy  Place.  One  of 
them  carried  a  censer  with  live  coals  taken 
from  the  fire,  which  burned  continually  upon 
the  brazen  altar;  and  the  other  had  in  his 
hand  a  golden  censer  full  of  frankincense. 
Two  other  priests  walked  before  them,  who 
had  already  been  in  the  Holy  Place,  trimming 
the  golden  lamps,  and  cleansing  the  altar  of 
incense.  And  when  they  had  all  entered  the 
Holy  Place,  the  two  priests,  who  had  been 
there  before,  took  up  the  golden  vessels  which 
they  had  used  in  their  service,  and  then,  af- 
ter worshipping  toward  the  most  Holy  Place, 
they  came  out  and  stood  in  the  porch.  And 
he  who  carried  the  censer  of  coals,  after 
kindling  the  fire  on  the  incense  altar,  also 
worshipped,  and  came  out  and  stood  with  the 
two  others  in  the  porch,  leaving  the  priest 
who  was  to  offer,  alone  in  the  Holy  Place. 
Every  thing  being  now  ready,  the  incense 
was  kindled  upon  the  golden  altar,  and  the 
Holy  Place  was  filled  with  the  odour,  and  all 
the  congregation  without  bowed  their  heads, 


7'n 


el>'Ati;an. 


with  their  faces  to  ihe  earth,  and  l.licir  hands 
upon  their  breasts,  and  prayed:— 

Appoint  peace,  goodness,  and  blessing- 
grace,  mercy,  and  compassion  for  us,  and  for 
all  Israel,  thj  people.  Bless  us,  0  our  Fa- 
ther, even  all  of  us  as  one  ma.n,  with  the  light 
of  thy  countenance^  for  in  the  light  of  thy 
countenance,  thou,  O  Lord  our  God,  hast 
given  us  the  law  of  life,  and  loving  mercy 
and  righfeousn^,  and  blessing  and  compas- 
sion, and  life  and  peace.  Let  it  please  Thee 
to  bless  thy  people  Israel  at  all  times.  In  the 
book  of  life  with  blessing,  and  peace,  and 
sustentatlon,  let  us  be  remembered  and  wTit- 
ten  before  Thee,  we,  and  all  thy  people,  the 
house  of  Israel."* 

And  when  the  prayers  were  endedy  the 
priest,  whose  lot  it  was,  took  the  lamb  which 
had  been  slain  for  the  morning  sacrifice,  and 
laid  it  upon  the  fire  which  was  burning  upon 
the  brazen  altar.    After  this  was  done,  the 

*  This  prayer,  tlie  date  and  authority  of  which. are  un- 
certain, the  Jews  tell  us,  ^\  as  composed  by  Ezra,  and  so 
is  not  so  ancient  as  the  time  we  have  v,-  , lured  to  ascribe 
to  it  above. 


ELNATHAX, 


81 


*'*Liflup  your  heads,  O  ye  gatee; 
And  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting  doors; 
And  the  King  of  Glory  shall  come  in." 

Upon  which  the  other  half  asked, 

"Who  is  this  King  of  Glory?" 

And  the  first  answered  them, 

The  Lord  strong  and  mighty, 

The  Lord  mighty  in  battle. 

Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates: 

Even  lift  them  up,  3"e  everlasting  doors; 

And  the  King  of  Gloiry  shall  come  in. " 

The  other  half  asked  again, 

"Who IS  this  King  of  Glory?" 

And  the  first  replied  to  their., 

"The  Lord  of  hosts, 
He  is  the  King  of  Glory." 

Upon  which  the  whole  baod  united  and 
sung  in  loud  chorus — 

"  Praise  ye  the  Lord;" 

while  the  priests  sounded  their  silver  tnun- 
pets,  and  the  people  bowed  their  heads  aiid 
worshipped. 

Thus  ended  the  morning  service  in  the 
Teinple,  the  people  afterwards  dispersing  to 
their  d  i ft e  r e n  t  h  abit a tion  s . 


82 


ELNATHAN. 


Elnathan  returned  to  the  two  women,  with 
whom  he  had  left  the  lambj  and  one  of  them 
stood  by  the  door  of  her  house,  and  she  be- 
sought him  to  come  in,  and  she  set  bread  and 
milk  before  him.  When  he  had  eaten,  and 
rose  up  to  go  again  to  the  temple  to  offer  his 
burnt-offering  to  the  Lord,  one  of  the  women, 
who  was  the  oldest,  and  was  indeed  the  mo- 
ther of  the  other,  said  to  him,  when  thou 
returnest  from  the  Temple  again,  at  noon, 
come  hither,  I  pray  thee,'  and  eat  bread  with 
mJ^  For  though  she  was  poor  herself?  she 
yet  esteemed  it  a  duty  to  relieve  and  befriend 
the  poor  but  devout  stranger.  And  Elnathan 
premised  to  return  againi  and  so  he  left  them. 


4 


r 


CHAPTER  y. 


—  There  are  blessed  inhabitants  of  earth, 

Partakers  of  a  new  ethereal  birth, 
Their  hopes,  desh-es,  and  purposes  estranged 
From  things  terrestrial,  and  divinely  changed, 
Their  very  language,  of  a  kind  that  speaks 
The  soul's  sure  interest  in  the  good  she  seeks.— — " 

Coicper, 


Elnathan  again  entered  the  Temple  by 
the  eastern  gate;  and,  passing  onward  into 
the  inner  court  of  the  Lord's  House,  carrying 
the  lamb  for  a  burnt-olFering  in  his  arms,  he 
brought  it  before  the  priest  on  the  north  side 
of  the  brazen  altar.  Now,  the  doors  of  the 
pojch  of  the  Temple  being  open,  which  was 
overlaid  within  with  pure  gold,  it  shone  in  a 
glorious  manner  in  the  sun;  and  Elnathan 
stood  with  his  face  thither,  looking  toward 
the  Most  Holy  Place;  and,  laying  his  hands 
upon  the  head  of  his  sacrifice,  he  confessed 
his  sins,  saying: 

••I  have  sinned:  I  have  done  perversely: 
1  have  rebelled  in  mylieart  against  thy  t€«^-; 


86 


ELVATHAX. 


mandments,  0  my  God:  I  have  ihimght  it  an 
hard  thing  that  1  should  suffer  thy  reproach; 
I  have  kept  thy  precfipts  grudgingly,  and  have 
not  done  and  borne  thy  will  with  an  humble 
and  contrite  heart:  but  I  return  by  repentance 
before  thee,  and  let  this  be  my  expiation." 

Then  the  priest  took  that  milk-white  lamb, 
and  bound  its  feet,  and  laid  it  upon  the  mar- 
ble pavement  of  the  court,  and  killed  it:  and 
he  received  its  blood  into  a  sacred  vessel,  and 
carried  it  to  the  altar  and  sprinkled  it  thereon, 
and  that  which  remained  he  poured  out  at  the 
f:)ot  of  the  altar.  In  the  meantime,  a  priest, 
^vhose  office  it  was,  hung  up  the  lamb  upon 
an  iron  hook,  and,  removing  the  skin,  he 
opened  the  Iamb  and  pierced  its  heart,  to  let 
the  remaining  blood  Sow  out.  Afterward,  he 
divided  the  body  in  pieces,  which  were  car- 
ried by  another  priest  to  the  ascent  of  the  al- 
tar, and  sprinkled  with  salt,  and  given  to  a 
priest  that  stood  there  for  that  purpose,  who 
laid  them  in  order  upon  the  great  fire  wliieh 
was  upon  thfe  altar^  that  they  might  be  con- 
sumed. When  this  was  done,  Elnathan  pre- 
Eenttd  to  the  priest  the  meat-oifering  of  the 
Bacri€ce,  which  was  of  fine  flour  mingled  with 


V 

ELNATHAN. 


87 


©ill  aiid  also  the  wine  for  the  drink -offering j 
and  the  priest  carried  the  meat-ofFering  to  the 
altar, and  took  an  handful  of  it,  and  salted  it, 
and  burned  it  upon  the  altarj  and  the  drink- 
offering  he  poured  out  at  the  foot  thereof. 

While  the  sacrifice  was  offering,  EInathan 
continued  in  prayer  to  God— for  he  rested 
not  in  ceremonial  conformity  to  the  law:  He 
had  felt  its  spirituality  and  its  extent^ — ^that 
it  reached  to  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the 
heart — and  so  had  been  convinced,  that  a 
sinner  might  for  ever  despair  to  obtain  purity 
of  conscience  and  holiness  of  heart  through 
the  blood  of  lambs  or  goats.  With  earnest 
faith,  then,  and  holy  joy,  he  looked  forward 
to  that  better  offering,  tliat  worthier  sacrifice, 
of  which  those  offered  by  the  law  were  but  a 
shadow — to  that  Divine  Seed,  and  the  inef- 
fable blessings  with  which  ail  the  kindreds  of 
the  earth  were  to  be  blessed  in  him. 

When  his  offering  was  ended,  he  retiiraed 
to  the  house  of  the  two  women,  which  was  by 
the  Water-gate.  And,  Sfs  it  was  now  ab' at 
sn  hour  before  noon,  the  common  tbne  of 
dinner,  they  set  before  him  bariey  bread 
newly  baked,  and  pottage  made  of  meal  and 


8S 


ELNATHAN, 


herbs.  And,  after  they  had  eaten,  they  sat 
conversing  together;  for,  during  the  heat  of 
noon,  all  labour  was  suspended. 

And  Elnathan  said  to  them,  "  Ye  are  hap- 
py, my  Irieuds,  seeing  ye  dwell  in  Jerusalem, 
the  city  which  the  Lord  hath  chosen  out  of 
&li  the  tribes  of  Israel,  to  put  his  name  in; 
'"  ixml  do  continually  wait  upon  our  God  in  his 
holy  ordinances,  in  security  and  peace. " 

Deborah,  for  that  was  the  name  of  the  mo- 
ther, replied,  We  indeed  account  ourselves 
happy  in  the  enjoyment  of  this*  great  mercy. 
But  it  was  not  always  so  with  us.  I  and  my 
daughter  are  widows;  my  husband  was  sold 
i  or  a  bond -servant  by  his  creditoj:,  .  and  died 
of  labour  and  grief;  and  the  husband  of  my 
daughter  was  slain  wlien  all  Israel  besieged 
Terza,  ^vhere  Zemri  burnt  the  king's  house 
over  himself  with  fire  and  died.  So  we  were 
left  poor  and  desolate,  and  the  streams  of  all 
our  earthly  comforts  were  dried  up.  We  then 
experienced  the  misery  of  those  who  are  with- 
out God,  and  whose  only  well-spring  of  joy 
is  the  troubled  and  ebbing  fountain  f>f  worldly 
good.  Then  were  we  constrained  to  return 
to  God  who  had  afflicted  us.  and  to  seek  hint 


ELNATHAN. 


89 


with  our  whole  hearts  i  and  in  his  abundant 
mercy  he  heard  us,  and  made  us  to  under 
stand  his  loving-kindness  and  his  truth;  and 
cau^e4'us  to  hope  in  his  salvation.  Then  did 
joj  break  upon  us  as  the  morning,  and  a  light 
arose ,  in  our  souls,  which  shall  never  be 
quenched  till  we  arrive  in  the  presence  of 
our  God.  Before  this  we  had  broken  his 
commandments  without  remorse,  and  had 
been  careless  about  his  ordinances  and  his 
temple:  but  to  keep  his  statutes  was  now^ur 
delightj  and  we  were  unhappy  because  we 
dwelt  far  from  His  house,  and  could  not  go 
up  to  worship  with  the  congregation  of  his 
people.  So  we  left  our  dwn  couiit^^y  where 
we  had  now  no  duties  to  perform,  and  came 
to  Jerusalem  j  and  Abidon.  the  HesroniteV  a 
rich  man,  and  a  true  Israelite,  gave  4s  ^iis 
house  to  dwell  in,  an'?  h"  f    <  ervp-rji 

to  work  in  his  field  ? - 

gather  in  contentment  md  p'-  ,..ce:,  and  wdik 
in  the  strength  of  th^  Lonl  nr\fn  iki-^ 

day 

''  Blessed  be,  the  name  of  thp  Goo  Is 
rael,''  said  Elnathan  with  emotion,  **-  wii"® 
H  .3 


90 


ELNATHAN. 


hath  led  jou,  my  friends,  io  seek  and  find 
rest  and  consolation  in  himself  alone." 

Then  Achsah,  the  daughter  of  Deborah, 
said,  '*We  are  sometimes  distressed,  because 
we  do  not  always  feel  our  times  of  drawing 
nigh  to  God  in  his  Sanctuary  so  precious  and 
delightful  as  when  our  opportunities  of  doing 
so  were  more  seldom." 

Elnathau  replied  to  her,  "  Cherish  in  thy 
heart,  my  daughter,  the  same  deep  sense  of 
the  mercy  of  God  and  thine  own  unworthi- 
ness,  and  the  same  anxious  diligence  in  do  - 
ing his  will,  felt  by  thee  when  first  thou  knew 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  put  thy  confidence 
in  him|  so  shalt  thou  keep  away  that  coldness 
in  the  offices  of  religion  which  cometh  upon 
tlie  heart  even  of  God's  own  children  when 
they  live  in  quietness  and  free  from  trouble." 

At  tKe  ninth  hour,  Elnathan  and  these  two 
women  went  iip  to  the  Temple  together  to 
the  evening  sacrifice.  And,  when  it  was 
over,  he  bade  his  two  friends  farewell,  v/ho 
returned  again  to  their  labour |  and  he  went 
and  stood  by  xhe  Valley-gate,  and  waited  for 
the  coming  of  Ziliah, 


i 


92 


^-LNATHAN. 


9S 


This,  like  the  other  gates  of  the  city,  had 
an  open  space  before  it,  which  was  a  place  of 
general  concourse :  here  he  saw  merchandise 
of  all  kinds,  exposed  for  sale  in  booths,  or  on 
stalls — multitudes  of  people  passing  to  and 
fro,  conversing;  on  business  or  the  news  of 
the  time,  or  engaged  in  dispute;  and  several 
of  the  elders  of  the  city  sitting  in  the  gate, 
to  bear  witness  to  bargains  and  covenants, 
and  for  settling  differences. 

In  a  little  while  Zillah  came;  she  wore  a 
long  white  veil  wliich  covered  her  whote  per- 
son, but  vvithout  concealing  her  light  and 
beautiful  form:  this  part  of  dress  was  laid 
aside  by  the  ladies  of  Israel  when  4n  the 
house,  but  always  used  when  they  wefit 
abroad.  And  she  saluted  Elnathan,  and  re- 
quested him  to  come  with  her  to  her  mother's 
iiouse.  So  he  went  ^\ith.  her;  and,  after  pass- 
ing through  several  of  the  sti'eets  of  Jerusa- 
lem, which  are  very  narrow,  irregular,  and 
steep,  and  in  many  places  choked  with  mire 
and  dust,  they  came  to  the  house  of  Zillah's 
jMttents,  which  stood  in  a  place  more  open 
Ju'in  the  -  est,  near  the  top  of  Mount  Acra. 
I  u  as  b  lilt,  like  the  houses  of  the  rich  among 


94 


ELXATHAN, 


the  people  J  in  the  form  of  a  square,  and  was 
two  stories  high,  and  the  roof  fiat  On  the 
outside,  the  appearance  of  this  little  sqaare 
of  buildings,  or  "wide-house,*'  as  named  in 
the  Scriptures,  was  extremely  plain  and  duUj 
it  having  only  a  low  door,  and  a  small  latticed 
window  toward  the  street.  So  they  entered 
by  this  door,  EInathan  stooping  as  he  went, 
into  the  porch,  which  had  benches  on  each 
side.  And  Abidon,  Zillah*s  father,  w^as  sit- 
ting there,  as  was  the  custom,  with  several  of 
his  friends,  receiving  visits,  and  transacting 
business,  not  many  having  further  admission 
into  the  house.  And  EInathan  bowed.him^elt 
to  Abidon,  who  rose  up  and  .saluted  him,  for 
he  had  heard  iVom  his  daughter  of  his  piety 
and  faithfulness^  and  he  was  moved  also  by 
his  venerable  appearance:  and  he  spake  kind- 
ly to  him,  and  permitted  his  daughter  to  con- 
duct him  into  tlie  house. 

So  she  brought  him  into  the  court,  which 
was  paved,  and  vv^s  surrounded  on  tl^e  four 
sides  by  a  piazza,  the  height  of  the  first  story 
of  the  house.;  and  a  stah",  which  vv^as  entwined 
and  almost  hid  by  the  bran'  he^  of  a  ]u;sLuriant 
vine,  led  from  the  court  up  to  a  g-dlery  which 


ELNATHAN. 


95 


was  over  the  piazza,  and  had  a  latticed -work 
of  wood  going  round  it^  to  prevent  those  wLo 
were  walking  in  it  from  falling  into  the  court 
below.  The  various  apartments  in  the  house 
had  no  communication  with  each  other  but  by 
latge  doors  that  opened  into  the  piazza  below 
and  gallerj  above |  and  the  windows,  of  which 
there  were  many  on  the  inside,  were  latticed 
with  wood,  and  large,  to  admit  the  free  air. 
Zillah  conducted  Elnathan  into  one  of  the 
chambers  in  the  lower  story,  which  was  the 
ordinary  dwelling-place  of  the  famiij^,  their 
chief  rooms  being  above.  By  the  windows, 
and  behind  the  doors  of  this  chamber,  were 
several  large  square-headed  nails  fixed  in  the 
wall,  on  which  hung  veils,  and  curtains,  and 
baskets,  and  other  household  utensils.  At  the 
upper  end,  the  floor  was  raised  about  a  cubit, 
and  covered  with  cloth;  on  this  raised  place 
sat  Sarah,  Zillah's  mother,  and  her  sister 
Esther,  who  was  beautiful  and  well-favoured, 
with  several  maid  servahts,  employed  in 
weaving  of  a  very  simple  kind,  using  scarcely 
any  other  instruments  than  their  nimble  fin- 
gers, with  which  they  pjissed  the  thread  from 


96 


F.LNATHAN. 


one  side  of  the  web  to  the  other.  And  Elna- 
than  bowed  himself  to  Sarah,  and,  having 
broiight  a  little  honey  in  his  hand  as  a  pre- 
sent, he  advanced  to  the  raised  place,  and 
presented  it  to  her,  which  was  a  usual  honoui: 
rendered  by  those  who  visited  their  superiors. 
And  Sarah  made  Elnathan  come  up  on  the 
raised  place,  and  sit  on  a  couch  in  the  cor- 
ner, winch  was  the  place  of  distinctionf  for 
she  respected  him,  because  of  what  her  daugh- 
ter had  told  her  concerning  him. 

In  the  evening,  Abidon  made  Elnathan  sit 
down  witii  him  to  supper,  and  told  him  that 
his  daughter  Esther  was  to  be  married  to 
Obed,  the  son  of  Nathaniah,  and  kindly  en- 
treated the  good  old  man  to  remain  to  bless 
them,  and  be  present  at  the  marriage-feast. 
And  Elnathan  consented,  and  promised  to 
remain.  Then  he  told  Abidon  of  the  tw^o 
women  who  dwelt  by  the  Water-gate,  how 
they  feared  God,  and  of  the  great  kindness 
which  they  had  shown  toward  him.  And 
Abidon  said,  They  are  my  hired  servants, 
and  have  done  well.^'  So  he  cbmrnandeci 
Adahj  one  of  the  maidens,  to  take  a  double 


ELNATHAN. 


97 


portion  of  what  remained  of  the  supper  to 
Deborah  and  her  daughter;  because  he  was 
well  pleased  with  their  kindness  to  Elnathan. 

And,  after  their  supper  w^as  ended,  they 
conducted  Elnathan  to  repose  in  the  "  guest- 
chamber."  or  the  room  which  was  kept  for 
the  accommodation  of  their  friends,  when 
they  assembled  in  Jerusalem,  on  the  three 
great  festivals.  And  he  abode  with  them  till 
the  day  after  the  mamage  of  their  daughter, 
attending  on  the  service  of  the  Temple,  and 
having  great  kindness  and  fat^'Sf^own  him 
by  these  good  and  hospitable  H6s'  oniic^. 


I 


—by  thee, 
jure. 


.ploys,  here  lights 
his^purple  wiass." 

Mtton. 


had  onlj  at- 
the  day  on 
J.  uiid  Obfsd  his 
'j.eteentb.    l'^  ]iad  espoused  J*er  about  a 
i  piece  of  silver  in 
Is.     The  dowry 
father-in-law,  had 
::rn!tut'e  for  his. bride,  Ab> 
hi^a:,  of  his  <5Wn^iib»ral: 
sent  home  to 


rerernonj  and  dispiay 
ne  fourth  day  of  the  wee 


93 


ELNATHAN. 


101 


v/hich  maidens  were  wedded,  early  in  the 
morning,  Esther  was  led  by  her  female  com- 
panions, without  her  veil,  and  with  dishevel- 
led iiair,  into  tlie  dressing  chamber:  her  com- 
panions singing  marriage  sav.gs  before  her  as 
she  went.  There  thej  placed  her  upon  a 
beautiful  seat,  and  anointed  her  hair  with  oil 
of  cassia,  and  disposed  it  in  flowing  ringlets, 
and  thej  dressed  her  in  robes  of  fine  linen, 
with  a  long  close-vest  of  w  hite,  v.  rou trl  t  with 
embroideries  of  gold;  and  they  put  purple 
shoes  upon  her  feet,  and  encircled  her  waist 
with  a  girdle  of  yellow  silk,  elegantly  wrt  i;,rht 
with  needle  work  by  lier  sister  Zillah,  and 
fastened  before  with  a  golden  clasp.  They 
decked  her  also  with  ornamciM 
bracelets  upon  her  hands,  and  a  ;  i:  .  .  ;  . 
neck,  to  which  was  appended  a  small  golden 
box  of  perfume, or,  bundle  of  myrrh,"  which 
hung  down  upon  her  breast:  -^'m-  v^f 
jewel  on  her  forehead,  and 
in  her  ears;  and  having  thus  .^i  id^ea  ut;r  la 
her  wedding  attire,  and  prepared  and  adorned 
her  for  her  husband,  toward  e  cuing  they 
veiled  her,  like  Rebecca,  amid  0  son^j  and 
rejoicings  of  her  companions, 
'  I  2 


10£ 


ELNATHAN. 


'Wii/jii  the  evening  was  come,.  Eliiathan 
went  aloiig  with  th^  friends  of  the  bride  and 
sto  jd  in  the  porch  of  the  house,  waiting  for 
die  coming  of  the  bridegroom.  At  length  he 
carae,  splendidly  clothed  in  scarlet,  and  ac- 
companied by  his  friends,  the  "  children  of 
the  feride-chamber/'  who  bore  with  theni  a 
canopy  or  banner,"  supported  by  four  poles, 
that  he  and  his  bride  might  walk  home  under 
it  to  his  father's  house.*  And  when  they  had 
vvelcomed  him  and  his  friends  by  exclain^ing, 
"'Blessed  is  he  who  cometh!*'  they  led  him 
1 1- to,  the  court  which  was  spread  all  over  with 
carpets.  And  Esther  came  forth,  veiiled  from 
kead  to  foot,  and  stood  on  his  right  hand. 
Tliere.  under  the  serene  evening  sky,  and 
.'-uiTOuaded  by  her  fnemls  and  kindred-  her 
f  »Oi^>r'  '(ook  her  !''t'  'the  hand,  and  presented 
-  li  husband,  saying,  ***Be~ 
<ii)iu-»  ulivc  lierj  aiter  the  law  of  Moses, -aBd 
lead  her  anav.--  and  then  he  blessed  them; 
and  their  ■  crowned  them  with  raar- 

:xed- plate  r , 
exactly  coi-r : 
iii  ^ .  "ut  does  in  ir^  : 


ELXATHAN. 


105 


And  Elnathan,  being  appointed,  as  the  most 
venerable  elder  in  the  company,  pronounced 
over  them  this  solemn  and  beautiful  benedic- 
tion as  a  ratification  of  all  that  had  been 
agreed  on: — ''The  Lord  make  the  maidea 
that  is  come  into  thine  house  like  Rachel  and 
like  Leah,  which  two  did  build  tlie  house  of 
Israel;  and  do  tfiou  worthily  in  Zion  and  be 
famous  in  Jerusalem:  and  let  thy  house  be 
like  the  house  of  Pharez,  whom  Tamar  bare 
unto  Judah,  of  the  children  which  the  JLord 
shall  give  thee  of  this  maiden."  And  all  tlieir 
kindred  and  friends  said,  Amen." 

After  tliis  they  began  to  prepare  for  going 
to  the  house  of  the  bridegroom.  And,  as  they 
were  about  to  depai  t,  Abidon  gave  a  young 
female  bond -maid,  named  Adah*  to  his  daugh- 
ter, for  a  bond-servant  and  companion.  Then 
the  marriage  procession  went  forward  in  this 
manner : — First  went  a  person  carrying  a  cup 
of  wine,  then  ten  young  men,  each  bearing  a 
wooden  stave,  on  the  top  of  which  was  a  larap 
to  give  light  to  the  company:  then  came  Obed 
and  his  veiled  bride,  walking  togetlier  under 
the  canopy,  or  "banner,"  and  accompanied 
bv  their  friends  and  kindred,  who  carried 


1E.LK-ATHAN, 


branch€i  of  mvrtle  and  palm  tree  in  their 
haMls,  and  srattered  flowers,  and  swR'atmeats, 
and  small  piecp?  of  monev  as  they  went  along 
the  streets,  everyone  ing  place  to  the  pro- 
cession; and  matrcus.  r  1  maids,  slaiuling  by 
tkeir  doors,  or  on  their  ilat  housetops,  to  en-^ 
joy  the  show.  And,  as  they  proceeded,  Zillah 
led  out  the  other  nuiideiis.  the  co;npa«ions  of 
the  bride,  and  danc  ed  with  them  as  tliey  went 
to  the  sound  of  the  pipe  and  the  harp;  they 
inaitatijig  her  various  steps,  and  keeping  exact' 
time  with  her-  And,  as  she  danced,  she  sung 
with  her  fellow-maidens,  in  a  %f»ft  and  lively 
air*  the  praises  of  the  bridi 

"  She  hath  no  need  of  paint  or  di,u.ii:  a, ' 
No  plaiting  of  hair  nor  anv  such  ihlw/, 
For  she  is  of  herself  most  beautiful." 

And  having  reached  rhe  house  of  Natha- 
niah,  the  father  of  the  bridegroom,  they  en- 
tered tlie  couri.  and  ascended  the  stair  which 
led  from  it  to  'rallerv.  The  door,  which* 
led  to  the  cli.  Mrriage-feasi 
was  to  bf^  cpK  j  half-opened, 
and  one  stood  there  to  none  entered 

bwt those  who  were  invk- o.    Klnathan  W3v 


*  A  black  prinHzr  for  paisi 


adnatted  through  this  strait  gate"  with  the 
friends  ofv the  bride;  and  passed  with  them, 
along  a  narrow  passage,  into  a  chamber  where 
a  number  of  wedding  garments  were  hirng  up 
that  h^d  been  prepared  by  the  bridegroom, 
that  each  of  the  guests  might  put  on  one;  and 
if  any  had  neglected  to  do  so,  it  would  have 
been  esteemed  a  great  dishonour.  Elnathan, 
having  put  on  one  of  those  garments,  entered 
with  the  rest  into  the  chamber  where  the  ban- 
quet was  prepared;  for  it  was  not  an  uncom- 
mon thir>i>',.iu  those  days,  for  the  rich  to  ad- 
mit t^e-^oor  to  then' table  when  they  gave  an 
entertainment.  And,  as  among  the  ancient 
Israelites,  the  vvoine'n  were  not  permitted  to 
associate  with  the  men  at  their  feasts,  the 
bride  with  her  maidens,  and  female  kindred, 
retired  to  her  own  apartments,  where  a  sup- 
per was  prepared  for  them  by  themselves; 
and  where  it  was  required  of  the  bride,  that 
she  should  remain  in  silence,  fixed  to  the  spot 
where  she  had  been  seated. 

The  bridegroom  and  his  friends  being  as- 
sembled in  their  chami^er,  Nathaniah,  the 
iaaster  ot  the  house,  rose  up  and  shut  to  the. 
door.    The  chamber  was  large  ajid  spacious, 


im 


ELNATHANc 


being  the  whole  length  of  one  side  of  the 
tomt;  it  was  ceiled  and  pannelled  with  wood, 
and  illuminated  bj  a  number  of  lamps.  The 
table  consisted  of  three  parts  placed  in  the 
form  of  three  sides  of  a  square :  one  part  was 
placed  along  the  upper  end  of  the  chamber 
crosswajs,  and  the  other  two  along  the  sides 
of  the  chamber,  having  their  ends  joined  to 
the  opposite  extremities  of  that  part  which 
was  placed  crosswajs.  TJie  middle  of  the 
chamber  was  left  thus  unoccupied,  that  the 
attendants  might  conveniently  serve  those 
who  sat  at  meat 5  for  round  the  tables  on  the 
outside,  next  the  wall  of  the  chamber,  were 
placed  the  couches  on  which  the  guasts  re- 
rlined  while  tliey  were  at  supper.  These 
coiiclies  were  covered  with  tapestr  j,  and  sup- 
ported on  richly  ornamented  frames  of  wood, 
having  each  a  footstool  at  the  end  for  going 
up  to  it.  IVlien  the  master  of  the  house  had 
assigned  tu  everj  one  his  proper  place,  Elna- 
than,  after  putting  ofif  his  sandals,  ascended 
©ne  of  these  couches  along  with  the  other 
guests,  and  lay  witli  his  feet  stretched  out 
behind  the  person  who  lay  below  him,  and 
wkoie  head  lay  almost  in  Elnathan's  bosom. 


ELNATHAN. 


Ill 


The  rest  of  the  guests  lay  in  like  manner^ 
each  leaning  on  his  left  elbow,  with  the  'apper 
part  of  his  body  raised.  After  they  had  all 
taken  their  places,  the  servants  brought  water 
and  poured  it  on  the  hands  of  the  guests  t© 
wash  them  5  and  then  Natlianiah  began  the 
entertainment  by  asking  a  solemn  blessing  on 
the  bread  and  wine.  During  the  banquet, 
which  was  accompanied  with  music,  the 
bridegroom,  as  was  usual,  remained  silent, 
while  the  honours  of  the  table  were  done  by 
Abidon,  who  was  chosen  governor  o^ithe  feast, 
and  appeared  the  most  pleasant  and  agree » 
able  person  in  the  company:  he  saw  that  every 
thing  was  done  in  proper  order,  gave  direc- 
tions to  the  servants,  distributed  the  wine  to 
the  guests,  first  tasting  it  himself,  and  taking 
care  that  none  should  have  more  than  was 
good  for  them;  and,  as  a  reward  for  his  assi- 
duities, he  was  crowned  with  a  WTeath  of 
flowers.  The  guests  eat  theii-  food  with  the 
thumb  and  two  fore  fingers  of  their  right  hand, 
and  afterward  wiped  them  on  the  soft  part  of 
the  bread,  or  "  crums,"  which  wei  e  then  given 
to  the  dogs.  As  the  eniei  tainmeiit  went  on, 
many  congratulations  passed  on  the  happiness 


•  many  lalc^  ueic  told.  i..  , 

^he  i:lo5c,  Nathauiali,  to  show 
"    *      'lis  guests,  caused  his  servantb 
their  heads  with  precious  ointments^. 
]  ^.   _    perfume  the  chamber  bj  burning 
mjrrh  and  frankincense.    Every  thing  was 
done  by  these  bond -servants  with  great  order., 
"T-  in  deep  silence:  they  stood  at  the  bottom 
•  chamber  with  their  hands  joined  before 
ihcm?  and,  as  if  they  dared  not  look  on  the 
fficc  of  thc'r  misters,  their  eyes  were  cast  on 
the  gr  1  on  his  hands,  watchuip; 

the.  least  ugDii  oi  his  pleasure. 

^^nf\.  at  the  end  of  the  supper,  Nathaniali 
d  a  cup  to  be  filled  with  wine.,  and 
1.^  it  up,  said,  "Let  us  biess  him 
benefits  we  K.ave  been  partakingf  • 
and  the  guests  replied-,     Blessed  be  he  who 
liath  heaped  his  favours  upon  us,  and  by  his 
goodness  bat"i\  now  fed  us."  And  afterward. 
Nathaniah  sent  portions  of  what  remainody  to 
those  A'iends  who,  by  affliction  or  otherwise. 
•  i)  d  tuined  from  the  entertainment- 
VVheo  Elnathan  had  returned  hoPK    '  ; 
Abidon  and  his  friends,  the  gf»od  lie  ■ 


ELNATHAN. 


113 


besought  him  to  tarry  with  them  during  the 
week  of  the  marriage,"  for  then  the  weddmg 
feast  histed  seven  days,  and  the  bride  was 
called  by  that  name  for  twenty-three  days 
more.  And  Elnathan  said,  I  may  not  do 
so  now,  for  the  wheat-harvest  is  at  hand,  and 
I  must  return,  as  I  promised,  to  the  widow 
and  her  son  of  whom  I  told  thee,  and  labour 
with  them  in  getting  in  their  harvest. "  Then 
Abidon  said,  When  thou  comest  up  again 
to  Jerusalem  at '  the  feast  of  harvest,'*  to  ap- 
pear before  the  God  of  Israel,  and  with  the 
assembly  of  his  people  thankiully  to  acknow- 
ledge his  goodness,  and  beg  his  blessing  on 
the  bounties  of  his  providence,  by  offering  the 
first  fruits  of  thy  wine,  thy  oil,  and  thy  wheat 
to  him— come,  I  pray  thee,  to  my  house,  and 
lodge  again  in  my  guest  chamber.-^ 


*  Or  Pentecost, 


CHAPTER  VII. 


'*  Ahl  where  16  now  the  loved  and  living  bloom 
That  the  young  flower  in  summer  beauty  dresi? 
Death,  sin's  dread  blight,  hath  o'ei'  its  sweetness  come. 
And  soil'd  in  dust  its  oright  and  budding  crest." 


Ns^xT  da-v,  Elnathan,  after  having  attended 
at  the  Rooming  sacrifice  in  the  Temple,  bless- 
ed the  good  Hesronites  who  had  shc>wed  him 
so  much  kindness,  and  departed  from  them. 

And  he  passed  again  through  the  Water- 
gate of  Jeriisaleffi*  riding  on  a  strong  and 
handsome  ass-colt  which  Abidon  had  given 
him  to  carrj  hira  on  kis  journey.  It  was  of 
the  f  ommon  dun  colour  of  those  animals  in 
Canaan,  and  for  a  saddle  had  only  a  kind  of 
rug  girded  to  its  back;  for  saddles  and  stir- 
rups, such  as  wc  now  have,  were  then  un- 
known. There  were  passing  through  tlic  gate 
at  the  same  time,  several  merchanis  going 
eastward  to  Arabia,  mi»uhted  on  camels. 
Each  of  these  mild  and  patient  animals  was 


ELNATilAN.  115 

loaded  with  two  large  coveied  batil.clh,  con- 
taining merchandise  and  provisions  lor  the 
way.  and  the  merchant  himself,  seated  be- 
tween the  baskets  or  furniture  "  When 
•  they  came  to  the  brook  Kedron,  they  stopped 
to  water  their  camels,  who,  before  drinking, 
went  into  the  water  and  disturbed  it  with 
their  feet,  and  then  thrust  in  their  heads  a 
great  way  abdve  the  nostrils,  and  drew  up  as 
much  water  as  would  serve  them  for  many 
d2.ys;  and  Elnathan  passed  by  tliem,  and 
went  onward  through  the  valley  of  Kedron. 

And,  as  he  rode  along,  he  heard  from  ihw: 
to  time,  from  the  hills  around  wiii 
rocks  were  shaded  by  the  green  bou^ii..  oi 
the  vine  and  the  olive,  the  cheerful  song,  and 
the  shouting  to  each  other,  of  the  vine-fjiresS" 
ers  employed  in  checking  the  loose  stiaggUng 
boughs  of  the  vine,  in  clearing  away  tlie  su 
perfluous  leaves,  and  laying  open  the  youii.«: 
grapes  to  tlie  sun.  In  some  of  these  vineyards 
were  watch-towersj  in  others  little  lodges  of 
wood  covered  witli  reeds  and  branches,  for 
the  watdirnrs'  ir  Awf!l  sn  \v)>n  f^if;!!d<^«?  the 
npe  fi'ui'  i'hc 
wine  pieb^toj  wlu 


J16 


ELNATHAN. 


lu'ihjw  pLicco  dug  ill  the  ground,  and  lined 
with  siiason  work,  into  which  the  grapes  when 
ripe  were  cast;  and  men,  having  their  feet 
and  legs  bare,  trod  upon  them,  and  so  press- 
ed out  the  juice. 

Having  passed  along  the  valley  of  Kedron=; 
he  ascended  that  chain  of  little  hills  running 
nortli  and  south,  which  lay  on  the  east  side 
of  Jerusalem^  and  he  turned  round  to  look 
again  upon  that  closely  built  city,  whose  prin- 
c'pal  streets  were  of  the  same  white-coloured 
siorte  which  the  Temple  was  built  of,  and 
made  a  noble  appearance,  rising  one  abo^'e 
another,  the  whole  surmounted  by  the  lofty 
and  beautiful  porch  of  the  Sanctuary,  and  *llie 
lowers  and  palaces  of  Zion.  Here  we  may 
n-A.  forbear  to  mention,  that  it  was  these  lulls, 
named  in  the  New  Testament  the  Mount  of 
Oliver,  to  which,  long  after  the  time  of  which 
p,  c  have  been  speaking,  our  blessed  Redeemer 
so  (  ftt  u  leti'ed  out  of  Jerusalem  in  the  even- 
im^  n'sUi  \ih  diyajM*' to  avoid  the  snares  and 
Sr^.  ^niciiiits. .  It  was  while  sitting 
:  _  vM  ci  one  rtf  liUls,  witli  the 
iilv  Ml      view  hd\  '-At  he  fi-^L'x'lxl. 

( J  ' , ,  _        ■  '  ■    '■    "  '•[['['■""'      "  '" 


ELNATUAN,  11 7"' 

sot  rows  which  they  Ihemselvcis  should  endure, 
and  his  own  second  coming  in  glory.  It  was 
at  the  foot  of  thes(> hills,  when  riding  in  meek 
and  lowly  triumph  to  Jerusalem,  that  the 
multitudes  met  him  with  branches  of  palm 
trees  in  t^icir  hands,  and  brake  forth  intj) 
joyful  acclamations,  "  Hosanna  to  the  son  of 
David:  Blessed  is  he  who  cpmeth  in  the  name 
of  the  Loi#^^Hosanna  itt^thc  highest!"  To 
these  hills  he  retired  on  the  night  he  was  be  - 
trayed, after  having  eat  the  passover^  and  it 
was  amid  their  serene  silence  and  solitude 
that  he  made  those  discourses  to  his  disciplce, 
and  that  divine  address  to  God  the  Father* 
which  arc  recorded  by  St.  John.  At  the  foot 
of  these  hills,  also,  lay  that  garden  of  Geth- 
scmane,  where  he  endured  his  agony^  and 
was  betrayed.  And  it  was  from  this  Mount 
Olivet,  after  having  accomplished  the  glorious 
work  of  our  salvation,  that  ic&us  ascended  in 
the  sight  of  the  "men  of  Galilee,"  and  en- 
tered with  glory  and  triumph  into  heaven,^ 
And  when  out  good  Israelite  ba(4  reinaiKc  J 
for  some  time  gazing  upon  JerUbafleHaj^^Jiink- 
rig  of  those  glorious  thirias  which;  wl^ ye  s^>t 
l>cn  of  ir,  and  looking-  ho[-^  .?,n\i 


118 


ELNATHAN. 


joy  to  those  still  more  glorious  things  which 
God,  bj  his  liolj  prophets,  had  declared 
should  be  revealed  and  accomplished  there, 
and  placing  himself,  in  idea,  amid  all  their 
blessedness,  he  turned  and  went  again  upon 
liis  journey. 

And  about  the  sixth  hour  of  the  day,  the 
time  when  the  noontide  heat  obliges  the  tra 
veller  to  seek  shelter  and  repose,  Elnathan 
came  to  some  fields  enclosed  by  a  hedge  of 
rose  bushes  and  wild  pomegranate  shrubs, 
which  are  full  of  prickles.  And  in  one  of 
those  fields  there  was  a  family  of  Benjamites 
sitting  under  the  spreading  branches  of  a  fig- 
tree,  with  their  men-servants  and  maidens, 
making  merry.  When  Elnathan  looked  upon 
this  pleasing  sight,  he  thought.  Surely  God 
taketh  pleasure  in  such  kindness  and  honour 
done  to  servants,  in  reward  of  their  labour 
and  fidelity.  And  as  soon  as  they  saw  him, 
they  called  on  him  to  come  and  rest  himself, 
and  join  with  them  in  their  banquet..  So  he 
alighted  and  came  to  them,  and  the  master 
(hAed  ooe  of  the  young  men  to  give  proven- 
clr  I  to  hh  asSj  and  brought  Elnathanj  and 
in  iilr  him  sit  down  upon  the  green  bank  im- 


ELNATHAN- 


119 


der  the  fig-tree  with  them.  At  their  mral 
feast,  they  had  a  piece  of  seethed  goat*s  flesh, 
and  milk,  and  a  basket  of  dried  figs,  and 
bread  newly  baked,  and  sprinkled  witli  coii- 
ander  seeds,  to  give  it  a  more  agreeable  fla- 
vour; tiiey  had  also  an  earthen  jar  filled  with 
wine;  and  at  the  foot  of  the  bank  where  they 
sat,  ran  a  clear  sti-eam  of  wholesome  water, 
which  they  drank  out  of  smooth  and  capacious 
flagons,  made  of  the  dried  gourds.  Their 
house  stood  at  a  little  distance  in  the  midst 
of  their  inheritance,  which  was  laid  out  with 
scarcely  any  attention  to  method  or  regula- 
rity; little  fields  of  wheat,  whose  waving 
stalks  were  almost  the  height  of  a  man,  aaid 
were  now  fast  rii>ening,  and  plots  of  barley 
which  had  been  already  cut  down,  were  in- 
termixed with  olive  and  fig-trees,  and  vine?, 
and  beds  of  herbs.  But,  notwithstanding  this 
want  of  order,  there  was  every  appearance  of 
fertility  and  abundance;  and  the  natural  beau- 
ty and  serenity  of  the  place  seemed  to  open 
and  elevate  the  hearts  of  the  possessors,  and 
kindle  in  them  grateful  and  generous  feelings. 
After  iheir  little  banquet  wag  ended,  and 


H!;'-  ■     harlcj.    And  it  being  upon  hia 

.i.iaUuiii  accompanied  them  to  the  place- 
■  ;  a  circiilai"  area  upon  a.  rising  gnmnilj 
ic^;cikx!  and  made  hard  fur  the  purpose 
T'vn'bcr  they  had  brought  their  ripe  sheaves 
;.hc  iichls,  and  they  spread  them  out 
■    '  jfoor,'"  and  drove  oxen  round  and 
them  J  who  trode  out  the  grain 
hoofs:  others  of  the  iamilj  em- 
iiiemselves  in  winnowing  the  grain 
R  already  trodden  out,  by  throwing  ii 
,nist  the  wind  with  a  shovel,  or  "  ixin,''* 
i.c  chaff  was  driven  away  with  the 
.  the- barley  only  remained.  'After 

*vard,  diey  put  the  gruro  into  secure  garner? 
ui'ider  ground;,  and  the  chaff  which  '  -^^  ''u  ':;  :  - 
iercd  around  they  burned  up 'with  I'  .  '■ 
Klnathan  blesRcd  tiie-c  hospitab'le.E- - 
kff  il^em-:       1hey  ";i»d  to  hirr 


ELNATHAN, 


123 


ancient  plough  was  a  simple  frame,  and  so 
light  that  it  did  little  more  than  scratch  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  and  clear  away  the 
rubbish  that  might  encumber  it.  The  plough 
share  was  a  flat  piece  of  iron,  not  very  large, 
which  tipped  the  end  of  the  shaft,  and  might 
easily  have  been  converted  into  the  short 
sword  used  by  the  warriors  of  those  days, 
and,  when  the  battle  was  done,  turned  into  a 
ploughshare  again.  And  Elnathan  made  his 
ass  go  quickly,  till  he  overtook  the  husband- 
man, and  he  saluted  him,  and  tliey  travelled 
onward  together,  conversing  by  the  way. 

And  they  came  to  a  solitary  place  by  the 
way  side,  where  there  was  almost  nothing 
growing,  the  parched  ground  being  covered 
with  sand  and  stones.  Here  stood  a  clay- 
walled  cottage,  covered  with  long  tufts  of 
withered  grass,  and  full  of  rents,  the  frail 
structure  seeming  fast  crumbling  to  decay. 
Wlien  Elnathan  and  his  fellow-traveller  came 
to  it,  the  door  was  open,  and  they  saw,  wth 
\  in,  the  dead  body  of  a  you^  boy  lying  strc  U:]  - 
cd  out  upon  a  table,  with  a  linen  cloth  ujider 
it  and  the  face  covered,  and  a  woman  sittisig; 


ELNATHAN, 


low  on  the  ground  beside  it,  witli  lier  gar- 
ments torn,  and  her  head  covered,  and  beat- 
ing her  breast,  and  uttering  loud  lamenta- 
lions.  Elnathan  was  moved  with  the  extre= 
mity  of  her  sorrow,  and  he  alighted  fi  om  his 
ass,  and  stood  with  the  husbandman  over- 
against  the  door,  waiting,  as  was  the  custom^ 
till  the  mourner  should  speak  tothem^  for  he 
longed  to  comfort  her  distressed  heart.  And 
t^he  lifted  up  her  eyes  upon  them,  and  cried, 
Have  pity  on  me,  whoever  you  are,  for  I 
am  sore  afHicted-— my  husband  hath  been  slain 
in  Samaria  by  the  servants  of  Ahab,  and  my 
son,  my  Ruben,  hath  died  by  the  way,  far 
h  m  Beer-sheba,  where  our  kindred  dwells" 
■jiid  she  turned  herself  aside  from  the  .place 
where  her  dead  child  lay,  and  bowed  her 
head  io  the  dust,  and  wept  aloud.  When  the 
two  saw  this,  they  rent  their  upper  garments, 
as  was  usual,  in  token  of  their  friendly  sor- 
rovv^!  and  Elnathaii  iot  refrain  from 

iCriru  while  he  Ga?  .  .  .  comforted,  my 
daughter— it  is  God  who  hath  takeii  away  thj 
child:      '  .  -  •  •        ■     best— this 

sf'paiii-  .*inot  return 


125 


to  us,  but  we  shall  shortly  go  to  him— should - 
est  thou  repine  because  thy  child  hath  ceased 
for  ever  from  sin  and  grief,  from  pain  and 
care? — -Wouldest  thou  recall  him  from  the 
presence  of  God  and  the  eternal  joys  which 
are  at  his  right  hand? — 0  my-  daughter,  be 
comforted,  for  our  Redeemer  liveth,  and  he 
shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth; 
and  though  worms  destioy  this  body,  yet  in 
our  flesh  we  shall  see  God;  whom  we  shaP 
see  for  ourselves,  and  not  another,  though  our 
reins  he  consumed  within  us."  But  tlie  be- 
.  ,aved  mother  Refused  to  be  comforted;  ^nd 
the  words  of  sympathy  and  consolation  which 
Elnathan  spoke,  seemed  only  to  open  and 
augment  her  grief. 

Then  the  poor  old  woman,  to  whom  the 
cottage  belonged,  who  had  given  the  mother 
and  the  child  slielter,  and  had  washed  the 
body,  and  laid  it  out  on  the  table,  said,  "  It 
i?>  now  more  than  time  that  the  child  was  bu- 
ried, for  he  huth  been  dead  aliiioit  <  w:;  days, 
and  wc  have  no  ntic  her€  [o  »l 
for  us. " 

Then  Elndthan  and  the  h^sbandniaii 


ELNATHAN. 


to,  an  old  and  withered  oak  tree,  which  stood 
at  a  little  distance  in  this  sterile  place,  and 
under  it  they  dug  a  grave.  When  they  rc» 
turned,  the  old  woman  had  put  round  the 
body  the  piece  of  linen  cloth  on  which  it  lay, 
and  placed  it  pn  a  bier,  or  plain  wooden 
framei  and  Elnathan  took  it  up  in  his  arms 
and  walked  softly  with  it  to  the  grave,  fol- 
lowed by  the  mother,  barefooted,  and  bovv  cd 
down  with  fatigue  and  sorrow,  leaning  on  the 
old  woman,  and  weeping  and  lamenting  as 
bhe  went.  And,  when  they  came  to  the  pk;cc, 
they  took  the  body  off  the  bier,  and  laid  it  iii 
the  gravel  and  filling  it  up,  the  mother  saw 
her  beloved  boy  consigned  to  the  dust  cf 
death:  andj  after  they  had  raised  up  a  stone 
to  mark  the  spot,  they  returned  d.'xp-hi  to  the 
cottage. 

When  they  had  entered  the  cottage  again^ 
Elnathan  gave  to  the  old  woman,  "  out  of  his 
own  penury,'-  a  small  leathern  bottle  of  wine, 
and  some  pieces  of  silver  money,  having  the 
figure  of  a  iamb  stamped  upon  them,  and  be- 
sought licr  to  take  care  of  her  distressed  com- 
pnnb'>     And,  seeing  thai  this  afflicted  mo- 


ELNATHAN. 


thcr  had  no  neighbours  nor  friends  lo  visit 
her,  and  send  in  provisions,  as  was  the  cus- 
tom, to  make  a  feast  after  the  burial,  he  and 
his  fellow-traveller  remained  with  her  till  the 
evening,  trying  to  assuage  her  sorrow,  and 
lead  her  to  submission  under, the  stroke  of 
her  righteous  Father.  Afterward  they  de- 
parted, and  when  they  came  to  the  further 
end  of  that  desert  place,  the  husbandman  left 
Elnathan  and  went  another  way. 


CONCLUSIOK 


The  sun  set  beyond  the  Great  Sea? 
and  the  stars  were  slj^rnhig  before  Elnathan 
reached  the  village  vvlicre  HuldaH  dwelt.  At 
length,  after  passing  the  brook  Clierith,  the 
liltle  thickets  on  the  banks  of  which  weic 
lUlecT  with  nightingales  in  full  chorus,  he 
came  to  tlie  place.  Now,  for  several  days, 
Elishama,  the  widow's  little  son,  had  been  so 
desirous  of  his  return,  that  he  had  gone  up 
every  day  at  eventide  to  the  house-top  to 
^vatch  for  his  approach.  And  that  night  he 
had  been  very  anxious,  and  was  beginning  to 
lliink  that  surely  he  should  never  see  that 
aflfld)le  old  man,  who  had  such  stores  of  pleas- 
inp^  \v'3rds,  any  ntore,''  when,  to  his  great  do- 
hgbt,  he  ;;aw  him,  daik  though  it  was,  com 
*oa;  riding  along  the  street  of  the 
And  he  in;?t(intly  ran  don^i  into  the  h 


ELNATHAN. 


129 


and  told  his  mother,  who  came  out  with  him 
to  the  door,  and,  with  great  joj,  welcomed 
Elnathan,  who  took  Elishama  up  in  his  arms 
and  kissed  him,  saying,  "  God  be  gracious  to 
thee,  my  son,"  and  entered  with  them  into 
the  cottage,  where  a  new  cause  of  joy  and 
gratitude  avvaited  him,  which  it  is  now  time 
to  explain. 

When  Helah,  his  grand -daughter,  left  Sa- 
maria with  him,  she  was  very  grieved,  wc 
have  said,  because  Azriel,  the  youngest  of 
the  sons  of  Ocran,  had  gone  with  his  father 
and  brothers  in  their  wickedness;  for  she 
knew  not  that  by  violence  his  father  had 
compelled  him  to  appear  an  associate  in  their 
sin.  It  was  indeed  only  in  appearance  tliat 
he  had  been  guilty  of  their  idolatry;  for  nei- 
ther force  nor  threatening,  nor  the  ensnaring 
t^iderness  of  his  father',  \Vhom  he  loved  and 
honoured,  could  prevail  wiili  him  for  a  mo- 
ment to  deny  his  God.  or  to  contaiiiinatc 
himself  with  their  intempei.)  '"A  Ih^^ 
had  forced  him  to  yield  so  1  .  . 

pany  them.  Nest  day,  when  tins  young  mart 
found  that  Elnathan  and  H<:1      ^  m  ^^^m. 


130 


ELNATHAN. 


lie  became  sad  and  verj  thoughtful.  Remeni' 
bering  the  meekness  and  serenity  of  the  old 
man  when  his  father  and  brother  spake  so 
cruelly  to  him  and  reproached  him,  and  how 
his  daughter  stood  beside  him  trembling,  yet 
not  fearing  to  be  a  partaker  in  his  dangers 
and  griefs* — -he  began  to  be  ashamed,  and  to 
hate  himself  for  having  yielded,  for  tbe  sake 
of  his  own  safety  and  peace,  to  associate  with 
his  idolatrous  kindred,  and  had  not  rather 
taken  part  with  Elnathan  and  his  daughter, 
when  they  stood  alone  for  the  cause  of  God. 
Finding  no  rest  in  himself,  and  displeased 
with  all  that  was  about  liim,  he  left  his  fa- 
ther's house,  and  went  to  a  thicket  of  dark 
yew-trees  growing  in  a  deep  valley  in  the 
neighbouring  mountains.  Seeking  the  darkest 
part  of  it,  where  scarcely  a  single  ray  of  light 
penetrated,  he  cast  himself  down  among  tiig 
long  rank  grass  and  weeds.  But  God  had 
opened  his  eyes  upon  his  own  heart,  and  it 
was  in  vain  that  he  sought  the  deepest  shades 
to  hide  himself  fiom  tlie  sight.  As  he  lay 
hes  e  dl!id.Mninf:  himself,  and  shedding'-  ^-'iivr 
-  all  the  inslmiccs  ■ 


ET.XATHAK. 


131 


iul  compliance  with  his  kindred  were  recalled 
to  his  memory,  and  how  he  had  omitted  the 
*  ordinances  of  God  for  fear  of  them,  and  had 
suffered  the  words  and  the  commandments  of 
God  to  pass  carelessly  out  of  his  mind,  anil 
had  almost  wholly  forgotten  God:  and  now 
he  felt  that  he  could  not  return  to  him,  and 
that  he  could  not  pray,  and  he  w^as  over- 
whelmed with  despair.  He  knew  not  wh^ 
to  do5  but,  rising  up,  he  returned  hastily  to 
his  father  and  brothers,  and  began  i6  entreat 
them,  with  tears,  that  they  would  renounce 
their  idolatry,  and  return  to  the  God  of  Is- 
rael.  But  they  scorned  him,  and  despised 
his  words,  commanding  him  to  keep  such 
thoughts  to  himself  if  he  wished  not  to  be 
Alrjven  out  to  follow  Elnathan. 
\  Azriel  saw' that  it  was  now  his  duty  to  de- 
part from  his  father's  home  a.nd  his  country) 
but  then  he  loved  his  father  and  brothers 
mth  the  tehderest  affection,  and  he  struggled 
longi  and  shed  many  tears,  before  he  could 
bring  himcelf  to  think  of  1>  :  vino  thew^  But 
he  knew  that  if  lie  reniained  with  them  he 
would  lose  his  hope  and  his  God  tor  ever^ 


13£ 


F.LMAT  HAL 


and  fecliiig  that  then  he  miisi  be  eternally 
niiserable,  he  tried  to  pray  to  his  heavenly 
Father  lo  blot  out  all  his  sinsj  and  to  guide 
him:  and  then  he  felt  himself  willing  and  re- 
solved to  leave  his  kindred,  even  though  he 
'  hould  never  see  them  more. 

Next  morning,  before  his  father  and  bro- 
tliers  went  out  to  their  usual  employment,  he 
tried  once  again  to  speak  to  them  of  their  sin, 
but  they,  after  mocking  and  reviling  him,  be- 
came so  enraged  against  him  that  they  drove 
him  from  their  houses  while,  like  the  i<lola- 
tcrs  in  the  days  of  the  Psalmist,  they  asked 
him  tauntingly,    Where  is  now  thy  God?" 

Azriel  suffered  their  injustice  and  their 
violence  silently,  and  without  resentment,  for 
he  was  filled  with  sorrow  because  they  had 
forsaken  the  Lord  their  God  for  idols^  his 
heart,  too,  reproached  him  with  having  con- 
tributed to  their  apostasy  by  yielding  to  go 
with  th.em  to  the  temple  of  Baal,  and  he 
smoto  his  breast,  and  wept  while  lie  departed 
from  til  em. 

He  kn^w  ihni  FAmAhmi  :mff  H^^lah  h-id 


ELNATHAN. 


diately  set  forward  to  follow  theiiij  almost 
destitute  as  he  was;  desiring,  yet  scarcely 
daring,  to  trust  his  all  with  God.  He  now 
remembered  the  kind  instructions  and  admo- 
nitions that  Elnathan  had  addressed  to  him, 
and  all  the  instances  of  tendeniess  and  friend- 
ship that  he  and  his  daughter  had  shown  to- 
^vard  each  other,  and  to  himself,  and  to  all 
around  them,  and  their  holiness  and  piety, 
and  upriglit  deportment  in  all  things;  and  he 
said  in  his  heart,  "  I  will  join  myself  to  El- 
nathan, and  labour  for  him  and  serve  him  as 
a  son,  and  take  a  part  in  all  his  sorrows. '^^ 
And  so  he  went  onward,  inquiring  for  them 
every  where  by  the  way. 

It  was  near  sunset  when  he  entered  the 
village  where  the  good  widow  dwelt,  who  had 
entertained  the  old  man  and  his  daughter. 
He  soon  traced  them  to  her  house,  for  their 
arrival  had  already  become  known  in  the  vil- 
lage. Helah  he  found  assisting  Huldah  in 
her  household  cares;  and,  advancing  w*th 
shame  and  diffidence,  he  told  her  his  grief  for 
what  he  had  done,  and  what,  threugh  the 
strength  and  in  the  name  of  the  G^d  of  Is= 

M 


134 


ELNATIIAN. 


rael,  Ue-  now  puipospcl  to  do^  and  then  he  in  - 
quired for  Elnathiin. 

The  sight  of  Azriel,  and  his  lovely  wordSj 
seemed  to  Helah  more  than  a  recompense  for 
all  her  griefs,  and  she  could  scarcely  speak 
for  jojlwhile  she  told  him  of  the  kindness  of 
Huldali,  and  that  her  father  had  gone  up  to 
Jerusalem  to  offer  a  burnt-offerilig,  and  would 
soon  return, 

Huldah,  as  soon  as  she  knew  who  Azriel 
was,  bade  him  welcome  to  her  house;  and  he 
having  consented  to  remain  and  help  to  gather 
in  their  harvest,  his  coming  at  that  time  was 
esteemed  by  her  as  a  blessing. 

When  he  had  been  some  days  with  them, 
Helah  saw  that  he  was  still  pensive  and 
deeply  grieved  with  the  remembrance  of  his 
sini  she,  therefore,  endeavoured  to  lead  him 
to  take  assured  hold  of  the  mercy  of  their 
God,  and  to  rely  alone  upon  his  salvation. 
She  was  thus  employed,  essaying  to  raise 
again  his  broken  heart  to  life,  and  Azriel  sit- 
img  at  her  feet  wondering  at  the  heavenly 
f^nsolation  that  came  from  her  lipS;  when 


ELNATHANe 


135 


Elnathan  entered  the  cottage,  carrying  the 
widow's  son  in  his  arms. 

We  may  not  attempt  to  describe  his  joy  at 
ihc  sight  tliat  he  saw,  and  his  ardent  grati- 
tude to  God.  It  is  enough,  now,  that  we  tell 
how,  after  the  feast  of  harvest,  Helah  was 
beti'othed  to  Azriel,  and  that,  before  tlie  se- 
cond return  of  Pentecost  again,  God  having 
greatly  prospered  them,  their  wedding-feast 
was  held — ^Elnathair^iving  away  his  daugh- 
ter, and  Huldah  putting  on  their  heads  the 
marriage  crowns.  And  of  their  future  life, 
let  it  be  added,  that,  hearkening  diligently 
to  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  their  God, 
and  observing  to  do  them,  tliey  were  blessed 
in  their  basket  and  their  storey  blessed  ia 
their  coming  in,  and  blessed  in  their  going 
out,  and  in  all  that  they  set  their  hands  to  do. 

In  a  few  years  Elnathan  saw  these,  his 
children,  obtain,  even  in  this  world,  a  better 
portion  than  that  which  tliey  had  been  de- 
prived  of,  and  lived  to  a  blessed  old  age,  sur- 
rounded and  beloved  by  their  children,  while 
Huldah  they  rewarded  for  her  hospitJiliiy  by 
a  continued  exercise  of  kind  offices. 


166 


ELNAlHANc 


As  i'or  Ocran  and  his  sons,  thej  lived  to 
experience  the  awful  fulfilment  of  that  threat- 
ening which  the  Lord  made,  by  the  prophet 
Elijah,  against  the  idolaters  of  Samaria, "  Him 
that  escapeth  the  sword  of  Hazrael  shall  Jehu 
slay:  and  him  that  escapeth  from  the  sword 
of  Jehu  shall  Elisha  slay." 


THE  END. 


THE  YOUTH  S  FRIEND, 

AND  SCHOLAR'S  MAGAZINE, 

St  25  cents  a  year  J  - 

In  the  sphere  where  this  work  has  circulat 
ed,  it  has  prospered  beyond  all  expectation-, 
and  we  are  tempted  to  enter  on  a  new  and 
'arge  field;  and  although  greater  laboiir  and 
more  pains  will  be  needed  to  sUwStain  its  cha- 
racter in  a  general  circulation  among* families, 
yet  this  labour,  with  God's  help,  will  be  freely 
bestowed  for  so  great  an  object.  The  com- 
mittee anticipate  a  circulation  exceeding  any 
other  periodical  work  in  the  country,  and 
hope  to  rival  a  similar  work  in  Eo^rland, 
whose  subscription  list  exceeds  llfes^  tiiou- 
sand.  All  sectarism  is  scrupulouslY,|xclud  • 
ed,  and  the  Youth's  Friend  is  heartily  ^ecom- 
mended,  not  only  lo  those  who  have  the 
privilege  of  attending  Sunday  -schools,  but  to 
the  younger  branches  of  families  generally, 
as  an  instructive  Mid  amusing  little  book, 
rendered  intercsiing  from  the  brevity  and  va- 
riety, and  valuahle  from  the  cliaracter  of  its 
matter^ 

Ten  thousand  copies  of  this  work  ar^  now 
issued  monthly,  from  the  Society's  press,  aiul 
the  committee  hope  the  friends  of  9  V  i,> 
will  be  active  in  promoting  its  furth-  i 
lation. 

TEUMS. 

Each  mu!i!)cr  will  contain  16  r^  -^  i  ih<^ 
1 


18mo  size,  and  be  ornamented  with  wood 
cuts.    Twelve  numbers  in  a  year  will  make 
j  92  pages,  which  may  be  bound  together,  and 
^dll  form  a  neat  volume. 

The  price  will  be  25  cents  a  year. 

UNION  PRIMER. 

The  Sunday  School  Union  have  published  a 
Primer,  or  First  Book  for  children,  suited  as 
well  to  common  schools  throughout  the  United 
States,  as  to  Sunday  schools.  Booksellers 
1  lid  country  merchants  who  deal  in  school 
books,  will  find  this  a  valuable  addition  to 
their  present  stock,  and  orders  will  be  exe- 
cuted on  favourable  terms.  To  accommodate 
ill  classes,  it  may  be  had  on  common,  fine, 
;r  superfine  paper?  at  proportionate  prices. 


THE  AMERICAN 

Suuda^  School  Magazine 

L-  published  Monthly  by  (he  Union^  at  $:l  50 per  aim. 

This  Magazine  is  designed  mfti'e  particU' 
al  ly  lor  Sabbath  school  Teachers^  and  the 
Commiliee  hope  thar  its  circulation  will  be 
more  £:enera]lY  extended  among  that  clav  s  of 
j«*rfi»?iis.  Its  WW  price  e  nables  almost  cvei^ 
OD  osed,  to  patronise  li,  and  i\\m 

I'lc: /.     ■     "^undav  school  causc= 


BIOGRAPHY, 

The  American  Sunday  School  Union  wiii 
shortly  add  to  their  extensive  catalogue  of 
books  for  children  and  youth,  memoirs  of 
the  following  distinguished  individuals,  viz. 

Memoir  of  Rev.  John  Newton,  preparing  for 
the  press. 
Rev.  Joseph  Alleine,  in  press. 
Rev.  Henry  Martyn,  published 
Rev,  Claudius  Ufuchannan,  do. 
Rev.  Christian  Frederick  Swartz, 

published. 
Miss  Jane  Taylor,  preparmg  for 
the  press. 

Life  of  Joseph,  published,  with  numei?ou§  en- 
gravings. 

Philip  Melancthon,  preparing  for  the 
press. 

Martin  Luther,  do. 
Memoir  of  Col  .  John  Hutchinson,  do. 

CoL  Gardiner,  dtt. 
Rev,  Cotton  Mather,  do. 
Dr.  Watts,  do. 
Thomas  Scott,  do, 
Thomas  Spencer,  do 

To  the  above  list  it  is  intended  to  a  ■ 
'^loirs  of  several  distinguished  pious  Ft.  _ 
vHh  the  lives  of  other  servants  i>f  Gt)d,  miich 
lil  makeaboat  thirty  volumes  of  Micd  Bw-- 
^ifdphyfor  Sunday  School  nnd  othtr  Jicvm^ 
libraries. 

S 


THE  TEACHER'S  MANUAL, 

By  W.  F,  Lloyd,  m  pages,  18mo. 

EXTR.\CTS  FROM  REVIEWS. 

This  book  contains  much  wholesome  ad- 
vice that  may  be  well  worth  the  attention  of 
numerous  teachers  who  have  been  long  in  of- 
fice, and  abounds  in  precepts,  which,  if  redu- 
ced to  general  practice,  would  greatly  improve 
our  Sunday  schools." — Imperial  Magazine. 

' '  To  all  (teachers)  we  recommend  this  vo- 
lume, which  is  a  concentration  of  theoretical 
and  experimental  knowledge  on  the  subject  [of 
Sunday  schools.]  Mr.  Lloyd  has  produced  a 
work  peculiarly  adapted  lor  Sabbath  school 
teachers.  The  directions  he  has  laid  down 
may  be  studied  with  advantage,  and  followed 
with  success"  by  Sunday  school  teachers, 
"  and  therefore  we  earnestly  recommend  this 
little  volume  to  their  careful  perusal." — Sab- 
bath School  Magazine  for  Scotland. 

"  Out  of  the  voluminous  materials  which  the 
improvements  in  conducting  Sunday  schools 
have  furnished,  it  was  no  easy  task  to  select, 
and  judiciously  arrange,  in  a  small  compass, 
the  miost  essential  rules  i^tod  principles  to  guide 
the  teacher  in  the  discliarge  of  his  important 
duties^  and  at  the  same  time,  to  deliver  these 
instructions  with  an  air  of  mingled  kindness 
and  authority.  This,  however,  Mr.  Lloyd  has 
acGomplished  in  a  manner,  which,  we  think, 
will  be  highly  acceptable  to  at  least  a  very 
|ai:ge  proportion  of  the  *  ninety  thousand 
teachers,'  who  might  b«  benefited  by  a  peru 
§al  of  his  book."-^^^//?:  Sioidffj/  >Sckool  Mag- 


THE 

BIBXE  CATSOmSM, 

Intended  for  the  use  of  Sunday  Schools  and 
Families, 

BY  We  F.  LLOYD, 

Foreign  Secretary  of  the  London  Sunday  Sdbool  Union. 

This  valuable  work  has  been  stereotyped 
by  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  and 
is  for  sale  at  their  Depository,  No.  13  North 
Fourth  Street,  Philadelphia.  Price  g6  per 
hundred,  reduced  price  g4  50. 


Extracts  from  the  Reviews, 

**Tliere  is  scarcely  a  question  which  can 
relate  to  life  and  godliness,  that  is  r^ot  pro- 
posed in  this  book,  and  clearly  answered  in 
the  words  of  Scripture.  The  questions  in- 
variably relate  to  duty,  obligation,  faith  in 
Christ,  experimental  and  practical  religion, 
and  the  relation  in  which  every  individtiii? 
stands  both  to  God  and  man,  without  taking 
their  stand  on  any  sectarian  ground.  This 
book  is  evidently  designed  foi  the  use  of 
schookij  for  which  purpose  it  is  admirably 
adapted ;  but  it  might  also,  with  much  advaa- 
iage,  be  introduced  into  private  familie^j 


where  the  means  of  instruction  are  but  scanti- 
ly furnished.  The  plan  of  human  salvation 
is  transplanted  into  its  pages :  and  he  who 
makes  himself  acquainted  with  the  truths  it 
contains,  and  reduces  them  to  practice,  may 
consign  sectarian  controversies  to  the  moles 
and  to  the  bats,  and  solace  himself  with  being 
'  on  a  single  plank  thrown  safe  on  shore.' 
This  work  appears  also  in  an  abridgment." — 
(Imperial  Magazine.) 

"  We  are  always  happy  to  see  the  Bible 
made  the  standard  of  juvenile  instruction, 
and  Mr.  Lloyd's  is  certainly  the  fullest  we 
have  seen,  tilling  162  pages,  and  compre- 
hending a  great  number  of  interesting  texts 
%vell  arranged."— (^v«n^e/ica/  Magazine.) 

"Our  readers  may  safely  commit  these 
publications  into  the  hands  of  their  friends. 
We  have  read  them  with  great  pleasure  our- 
selves, and  should  be  happy,  if  our  limits  al- 
lowed us,  to  expatiate  at  length  on  their  varied 
excellences.'-— ( Christian  Guardian.) 

This  little  work  appears  to  be  elaborated 
With  ^reat  care  and  judgment.  Every  con- 
tribution of  this  kind,  to  the  stores  of  scrip- 
tural  im  iruction  for  the  young,  we  hail  with 
delight^  and  if  the  millions  of  children  in  our 
native  land  were  all  fully  provided  for,  we 
mi4st  remember  that,  in  that  case,  we  have  to 
provide  for  many  other  millions  in  Hindoos- 
tan^  ifi  tK^^  Sonth  Sea  Islandsj  and  in  many 
©ther  {Baptist  Magazine) 


riEERE  AH±}  HIS  FAMILY;  or,  A  STORY  OF 
THE  WALDENSES,  by  the  author  of  ''Lily 
Douglas."— Price  35  cents. 

Extracts  f  rom  Reviews. 
"  The  reader  will  find  in  this  little  volume 
a  power  of  description,  that  will  not  suffer 
b^jr  comparison  with  the  very  (best  specimens 
01  that  species  of  composition  which  are  to  be 
foirad  in  the  works  above  all  others  famed 
for  it— the  ^  Waverley  Novels;'  while  these 
descriptions  have  an  accompaniment  which 
the  *  great  Magician,'  as  he  has  been  affect- 
tA\y  called,  is  incapable  of  giving-— a  tone  of 
moral  reflection,  as  rich  and  true  to  the  feel- 
ings, of  genuine  Christianity,  as  her  descrip- 
tioBS  are  to  the  scenery  of  nature.  Consi- 
dered merely  as  a  w  ork  of  genius,  it  merits  a 
high  degree  of  praise  5  and  among  tlie  produc- 
tsofis  of  fancy,  one  that  exhibits  an  imagina- 
tion more  rich,  more  soft  and  sweet,  will  not 
saasily  be  iomx^.^^—'EdmhuTgh  Christian  In- 
^'•r.'^>r,  October^ 

'  are  happy  to  meet  again  with  the 
aiiiliGs  of  the  beautiful  story  of  '  Lily  Doug- 
las,^ in  the  equally  instructing  and  useful 
narrative  of  '  Pierre  and  his  Family.'  We 
have  already  expressed  our  opinion  of  the 
talents  of  the  au  thor  of  this  work,  and  the 
present  performance  bears  ample  testimony 
to.thf^  Ju&ticc  of  that  opinion.  ^  *  *  It  is  un- 
necessarY  for  us  to  say  much  in  commenda- 
tion of  lier  writings^  they  possess  intrinsic 
merit  siiOicifint  to  secure  tor  them  a  lasting 
reputation ,  - '  —  ^Yri^*  Evangdiml  Magazine^ 
S»pt€mber^  1823. 


CALL  NUMBER 
244 

E4a 


Vol 


Date  (for  periodical) 


E48 


167161 


Universky  Library 


